HISTORY 



MADAGASCAR: 



EAJtBRACING 



THE ^^ROGRESS OF THE CHRISTIAN MISSION AND AN 

ACCOUNT OF THE PERSECUTION OF THE 

NATIVE CHRISTIANS. 



O God, open the eyes of tBe Queen of Madagascar. 

Prayer of a native Martyr. 

> 



PREPARED FOR THE AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION, AND REVISED 
BY THE COMMITTEE OF PUBLICATION. 



AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION, 

NO. 146 CHESTNUT STREET. 



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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1839, by Paul 
Beck, Jr., Treasurer, in trust for the American Sunday-school Union, 
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PREFACE. 



This little volume has been prepared, under the 
ir-apression that too little is known, even by the 
friends of missions in this country, of the history 
rnd the present condition of Madagascar. This 
-land is a dependency of the British crown, it is 
'sited chiefly by British ships, and the mission 
which was established upon it was wholly under 
the direction and patronage of the London Mission- 
ary Society. The greater part of the intelligence 
which is received in this country, must, therefore, 
come to us through the English journals ; but, in re- 
viewing the files of our religious magazines, it is 
astonishing to find how meager is the information 
which they have communicated ; and how utterly 
inadequate it is to convey any correct knowledge 
of this island, which, at the present time, is perhaps 
the most interesting spot on the globe. It is the 
object of this volume to supply the information 
which many are anxious, yet unable to obtain ; and 
the sources from which it is compiled are stated that 
1* 5 



6 PREFACE. 

its readers may determine with what degree of con- 
fidence they may receive its statements. 

One part of the instructions given to every mis- 
sionary who goes out under the patronage of the 
London Missionary Society, is to collect in all the 
nations which they visit, minute and accurate in- 
formation respecting the inhabitants and their his- 
tory, religion, manners and customs, government, 
and language ; together with descriptions of the 
country, its surface, soil, climate, and productions. 
This part of their commission the missionaries to 
Madagascar fulfilled most faithfully. Besides a full 
journal of their labours for the mission, they pre- 
served a record of their own daily and careful ob- , 
servations, of their conversations with the natives, 
and of their various journeys through the island, 
several of which were undertaken with the express 
purpose of obtaining information. 

Much valuable information was also obtained in 
answer to specific inquiries sent to them by the So- 
ciety. Numerous sketches and drawings of places 
and things were taken on the spot ; and where it was 
practicable, as in the case of the idols, instruments 
of music, domestic utensils, &;c., the articles were 
sent to England. A complete cabinet of the mine- 
rals and metals of the island, specimens of the 
plants and trees, and even the preserved fruits were 
sent by the missionaries to the museum of the Society. 



PREFACE. 7 

In the year 1838, the Rev. William Ellis, form- 
erly missionary in the South Seas, and now Foreign 
Secretary to the London Missionary Society, com- 
piled from the papers of the missionaries, and from 
the journal of the British agent, Mr. Hastie, a com- 
plete history of the island from its discovery till 
near the close of 1837. The history of the island 
previous to 1810, is compiled in part from the 
accounts of travellers, and in part from the state- 
ments of men who resided in the island, five, ten, 
and even fifteen years, either as traders, or in at- 
tempting to plant colonies : the remainder of the 
history is from the papers of the missionaries. From 
that work, published in 2 vols. 8vo. of six hun- 
dred and fifty pages each, this volume has been 
gathered. Much that would be interesting has of 
course been omitted ; and the history of the island 
previous to 1810, is barely touched upon. It is 
believed, however, that there may be gained from it 
a clear idea of the country, its climate and produc- 
tions, of the races by which it is peopled, of their 
domestic manners, their civil relations and social 
condition, of their occupations and amusements, of 
their national observances and customs, and of their 
government, mythology, and superstitions, as these 
have been found to exist among them since they 
were first visited by Protestant missionaries. By 
additions from the English magazines, the history 



8 PREFACE. 

has been brought down to June 4th, 1839, when 
the latest accounts were received from the island. 

Painfully interesting as those accounts are, we 
must renounce our understanding as well as relin- 
quish our faith, if we can believe that God will ever 
suffer the cause of Christ in Madagascar to perish. 
The seed has been cast into the earth, it has 
been watered with a martyr's blood, and God will 
pour his blessing upon it till it shall grow up into a 
mighty tree, and the tribes of the island find shelter 
beneath its branches. 

And may we not hope that the reading of these 
pages will stimulate to more earnest prayer, that, in 
the words of one who sealed her fidelity with her 
blood, '* God would hasten his pity, and have mercy 
on the dark land of Madagascar?" 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 



CHAPTER I. 



Situation — Extent — Discovery — Name — Rocks — Minerals — 
Surface — Mountains — Lakes — Rivers — Scenery — Springs. 

Madagascar, the Great Britain of Africa, 
and one of the largest islands in the world, is 
situated in the Indian, or Eastern Ocean, and 
is the principal island in the group usually 
called Jhe Ethiopian Archipelago. It is sepa- 
rated from the eastern coast of Africa by the 
Mozambique Channel, which is nearly 500 
miles across, though the nearest point of 
Madagascar, Cape Manambaho, is not more 
than three hundred miles from the opposite 
continent. East India ships, especially those 
bound to Bombay, frequently pass through the 
channel, and, when in want of provisions, usu- 
ally resort to St. Augustine^s Bay, which is on 
the soutU-easteni shore of the island. The 



10 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

distance between the Cape of Good Hope and 
Madagascar is about 1800 miles: from Mau- 
ritius it is nearly 600 miles distant ; and from 
the Isle of Bourbon, nearly 500. 

From Cape Amber, or Ambro, its northern 
extremity, situated in lat. 12° 2' S., Madagas- 
car extends southward, about 900 miles, to 
Cape St. Mary, its southern point, which is in 
S. lat. 25° 40'. The breadth of the southern 
part of the island is about 300 miles; the 
northern portion is narrow, and it is widest in 
the centre, where it is about 400 miles broad. 
It has been estimated to contain one hundred 
and fifty millions of acres of land. 

The existence of the island was first made 
known to Europeans, in the 13th century, by 
Marco Paulo, who brought to Europe the ac- 
counts he had received concerning it while in 
Asia. By him it was called Magaster. After 
this nearly three centuries elapsed before any 
accurate,knowledge respecting its situation and 
extent was obtained. The first European who 
visited the island was Lawrence Almeida; 
son of the Portuguese viceroy in India. It 
had, however, for a long period previously been 
known to the Moors, Arabs, Persians, and the 
natives of India, particularly those in the 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 11 

neighbourhood of Bombay, who visited its 
western shores for the purposes of trade. It 
was called by them Serandah. 

The word Madagascar is of foreign origin, 
and the natives are acquainted with it only as 
the name given by strangers to their country. 
They themselves have no distinct specific 
name for the whole of the island ; and when 
they have occasion to speak of it, they either 
name the several provinces, or use such ex- 
pressions as Izao amhany lanitra, " this be- 
neath the skies ;/' Ny anivony ny riaka^ " this 
in the midst of the flood,^^ " this which is sur- 
rounded by water.'^ 

The rocks of the island are chiefly granite ; 
there is, however, the beautiful rose-coloured 
quartz, used by the natives to ornament their 
tombs ; slate, suitable for roofing and writing 
on ; limestone, marble, and probably ^ coal ; 
there are in many parts volcanic rocks, yet no 
volcanoes are now known to exist. 

Gold, the diamond and other precious gems 
are not found in its mines, but it is rich in the 
minerals most useful to man. Silver, the na- 
tives say, has been obtained ; copper is often 
found ; and iron, a mineral far more valuable 
than gold, to a nation in the infancy of its civi- 



12 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

lization, is so abundant as to give to one of the 
mountains the name " Iron Mountain," and in 
ores so rich as to be easily smelted and wrought 
by the rude and simple processes of the na- 
tives. 

A substance resembling black lead is found 
in some parts of the island, and is used to colour 
and polish or glaze many of their rude articles 
of domestic use. Several kinds of coloured 
earth have been found, some of which are used 
in colouring the outside of buildings, &c. 

The country next the shore, with the excep- 
tion of the south-eastern coast in the neigh- 
bourhood of Fort Dauphin, is flat and exceed- 
ingly low. Some parts are apparently below 
the level of the ocean, and, consequently, 
marshy and incapable of culture. This margin 
of comparatively level soil, consisting of rich 
meadow-land, or rice-grounds, extends on the 
eastern coast from ten to fifty miles in breadth; 
on the western side of the island it is from fifty 
to one hundred wide, and occasionally extends 
still farther towards the interior. In some 
parts of the eastern coast, the country becomes 
suddenly mountainous at the distance of about 
thirty miles from the sea. Within the level 
border, almost the whole country is diversified 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 13 

with hills of varied elevations, and extending 
in every direction. 

In some parts of the island, immense plains 
stretch, in comparatively cheerless solitude, 
over a wide extent of country ; and at distant . 
points, in varied directions, a small spot is all 
that appears under cultivation. There is not, 
as represented on the maps, any continued 
chain of mountains stretching from one end of 
the island to the other, yet there are in every 
part numerous hills of greater or less eleva- 
tion; the highest is Mount Ankaratra, near 
the capital, which rises to the height of 12,000 
feet above the level of the sea. 

The highland scenery of Madagascar, and 
also the low country near the sea, is diversified 
by lakes of various extent and form. Some of 
them are remarkable for their natural beauty, 
others are esteemed for their utility ; many of 
them are large. On the eastern coast of the 
island, a series of lakes extends for a distance 
of 200 miles. Several of these are remarkably 
beautiful, being spotted with islets of various 
dimensions, some of them clothed with verdure, 
others enlivened with the habitations of men. 
The water of some is fresh and abounds with 
fish, of others, it is salt ; and in one instance the 
3 



14 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

waters taste as if strongly impregnated with 
copper. 

The rivers of Madagascar are numerous, 
and many of them of considerable size ; but 
all unfavourable for the purposes of trade and 
commerce. At their junction with the sea most 
of them are choked by sand, and in the inte- 
rior are interrupted by numerous cascades and 
rapids, which, while they enliven the gloomy 
and unbroken solitude of the mountain scenery, 
render navigation dangerous if not impractica- 
ble. 

The appearance of the country on the banks 
of some of these rivers is remarkably rich and 
beautiful, exhibiting all the variety of nature 
in its most pleasing and attractive forms ; and 
to the eye accustomed to American scenery, it 
would vie with its fairest regions, were its 
gently rising grounds, sheltered groves, or 
spreading lawns enlivened by structures, the 
abodes of intelligence, refinement, and comfort, 
with temples sacred to Him who hath weighed 
the mountains in scales, and the hills in a ba- 
lance. 

Fountains or springs are numerous and valu- 
able, especially in the more elevated parts of 
the island. Mineral, medicinal, and warm 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 15 

springs are frequent, though not often used by 
the natives. In the interior is a village re- 
markable for its salt springs, which are so rich 
as to deposit large quantities of salt on the 
earth and stones around. The natives of this 
part of the country drive their cattle to the 
place, to lick the salt. Here, also, instead of 
planting rice, or grain, or roots, for food, as is 
usual in other places,, the natives plant a kind 
of flag, of rapid growth, which imbibes a large 
portion of the saline properties of the soil on 
which it grows. This rush they cut several 
times in the year, burn it, and from the ashes 
extract a salt, which they pack up in baskets 
of rush or grass, sell in their markets, or send 
to the capital. From the manufacture of salt 
of very inferior quality, by the above simple 
process, the people of this neighbourhood are 
said to be comparatively rich. Their super- 
stitions prevent them from using the superior 
kind of salt which nature manufactures for 
them. 



16 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 



, CHAPTER IL 

Climate — The Year — Seasons — Rain — Waterspout — Whirl- 
wind — Lightning — Earthquakes — Soil — Trees and Plants 
— Birds — Food — Quadrupeds — Reptiles. 

The climate of Madagascar is exceedingly- 
diversified, both in the range of its tempera- 
ture and the degrees of its salubrity. The 
heat, in the lowlands and on the coast, is often 
intense ; but in the interior and elevated parts 
of the country it is mild, the thermometer sel- 
dom rising above 85"^. In the different sec- 
tions, every variety of temperature may be 
met with, from the comparatively oppressive 
heat of the coast, to the cold of the lofty Anka- 
ratra range, on the summit of which, ice may 
often be found ; or the elevated regions in the 
northern part of the island, where showers of 
sleet are frequently seen. 

The temperature of the province of Ankova, 
in which the capital is situated, is agreeable to 
a European, the greatest heat being about S5°, 
and the lowest 40°; and though during the 
chief part of the day, viz. from nine in the 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. l7 

morning to four in the afternoon, it is often 
sultry, the mornings and evenings are always 
pleasant. In the winter months, or from May 
to October, when the ground is occasionally 
covered with hoar-frost, the thermometer fre- 
quently does not rise above 44° for several 
days in succession. At other seasons, the 
changes in the heat of the atmosphere are ex- 
treme and sudden. Often in the morning the 
thermometer is at 40^, or even at 38^, and rises 
to 75° or SO"" between two and three o'clock 
in the afternoon of the same day. The differ- 
ence in the temperature, however, is much less 
than that which is experienced in the salubrity 
of the climate in different portions of Mada- 
gascar. The climate of the whole coast, with 
but few exceptions, is extremely prejudicial to 
health, and affects the natives not born in those 
parts, and foreigners, in nearly an equal de- 
gree. 

The miasma pervading the atmosphere over 
the greater part of the coast, during the whole 
of the summer months, has proved so fatal to 
the colonists or settlers from France, who have 
at different times attempted to establish them- 
selves in the country, and to the Dutch, who 
have visited it for trade, as to render the names 



18 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

given to the Isle of St. Mary's, " the grave of 
the French/' "the churchyard" or "dead 
island'' of the Dutch, applicable to the coast 
of the greater part of the island. 

The contagion which causes the destructive 
fever, is supposed to arise from the decay of 
vegetable substances in stagnant water. The 
mouths of many of the rivers are choked up 
with sand, so that their waters either pass 
sluggishly into the sea, or, when not swollen 
by rains falling in the interior, present the as- 
pect of a broad, unruffled, stagnant lake, for 
several miles inland. 

Many of the lakes are also shallow, and re- 
ceive large quantities of vegetable matter, fur- 
nished in all the rank luxuriance which the 
heat and humidity of the climate unite to pro- 
duce ; and some of these sheets of water, from 
the trees and shrubs that grow around, and 
rise in different parts of their surface, bear <a 
greater resemblance to insulated forests than 
ordinary lakes. 

The effluvia arising from the lakes and 
swamps near the coast is extremely prejudi- 
cial to health ; and by incautious exposure to 
this, either early in the morning or late in the 
evening, the fatal seeds of the Malagasy fever 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 19 

may be so deeply received into the human 
constitution as never to be eradicated. In the 
central parts of the island, and in Ankova, said 
to be the most salubrious province in Mada- 
gascar, the fever does not exist, though here, 
occasionally, persons who have been affected on 
the coast fall victims to a relapse. 

The great elevation of the province of An- 
kova, perhaps five or six thousand feet above 
the level of the sea, the absence of forests, the 
general dryness of the soil, the partial extent 
to which luxuriant vegetation is spontaneous, 
and the cultivation of many of the marshy 
parts of the soil, will be sufficient to account 
for its salubrity. The weather on the coast is 
generally hot and damp, or rainy ; but in the 
interior the rains are periodical, and, in a great 
measure, regulate the divisions or seasons of 
the year. 

The Malagasy year commences at the capi- 
tal with an annual feast, called the Fandroana. 
This festival commences about ten or eleven days 
in each year earlier than in the preceding year ; 
consequently, a complete revolution takes place 
about every thirty-third year. The return 
of this festival is often the only means that the 
inhabitants have of ascertaining their age ; and 



20 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

as there are some who are said to be able to 
recollect the Fandroana occurring precisely at 
the same period, three successive times, they 
must be upwards of one hundred years of age. 
There are four seasons ; Lohataona or 
Spring, which lasts one month and a half, from 
the budding of the trees to the beginning of the 
rain ; Fahavaratra, or summer, froni the be- 
ginning of the rains to the beginning of harvest ; 
i^ar«r6^no,onemonthandahalf,from the begin- 
ning to the close of harvest, and Ririnano^ five 
months, from the end of harvest to the fes- 
tival of the new year. The rain, in its season, 
usually begins about four o'clock in the after- 
noon, and continues for several hours ; often 
accompanied with heavy thunder and light- 
ning. The waterspout called Ramhondanitra^ 
or " tail of heaven ;'' and the whirlwind, called 
Tadio, or " twist," are common, and often ex- 
ceedingly destructive to houses and planta- 
tions. The forked lightning, too, causes the 
loss of several lives every year ; while that 
which is seen almost constantly in the evening 
playing in the horizon is perfectly harmless, 
and at the same time one of the most beautiful 
and splendid phenomena to be witnessed in 
Madagascar. Earthquakes are not unknown. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 21 

The soil in many parts of Madagascar, es- 
pecially in several of the beautiful and exten- 
sive valleys of the island, may justly be called 
fertile. Large portions of the table-land of the 
interior, and of the mountainous part of the 
island, are, however, rocky and barren, and 
much of the low land near the coast appears 
little better than a pestilential swamp, or un- 
wholesome morass, while the border extend- 
ing to the sea is often sandy and barren. The 
soil of many parts is nevertheless mellow, rich, 
and susceptible, in a high degree, of cultiva- 
tion; while it appears sufficient to yield the 
means of support for a vastly larger popula- 
tion than the island at present contains, or is 
likely to contain for many generations to come. 
From the varieties of soil which the different 
sections of the country exhibit, it seems emi- 
nently adapted not only to yield a far greater 
abundance of the articles at present cultivated, 
but to be well suited to the growth of every 
valuable production of countries in the temper- 
ate or the torrid zone. 

The vegetable productions of Madagascar 
are numerous and valuable. Notwithstanding 
the sterility of the granitic mountains, and the 
bare, or moss or fern-clad plains of some por- 



22 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

tions of the interior, the shore, in general, is 
woody ; groves, with pleasing frequency, adorn 
the landscape ; shrubs and brushwood deco- 
rate and clothe many parts of the island. The 
vast extent, the unbroken solitude and gloom 
of its impenetrable forests, where, under the 
continued influence of a tropical sun and a 
humid atmosphere, the growth and decay of ve- 
getation, has proceeded without interruption 
for centuries, present scenes of extensive and gi- 
gantic vegetation, in sublime and varied forms, 
rarely, perhaps, surpassed in any part of the 
world. Immense forests traverse the island in 
all directions, within which may be expected 
and realized all that is imposing, and wonder- 
ful, and venerable in the vegetable kingdom, 
where, for thousands of years, " no feller has 
come up against them,^^ nor have the footsteps 
of man ever broken their deep and impressive 
silence. 

The difficulty of exploring these forests is 
incalculable -^ partly on account of the impene- 
trable masses of underwood, and the abun- 
dance of enormous parasitical plants, which en- 
tangle and obscure the way at almost every j 
step ; partly from the insalubrity of the deep I 
recesses, where no air circulates freely ; and i 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 23 

partly from the very situation of the forests 
themselves, stretching up the sides of precipi- 
tous mountains, spreading over hills broken by 
sudden and deep chasms, or tenaciously occu- 
pying an under-soil, from whence the upper 
has been washed away by heavy rains and 
torrents, leaving merely a net-work of roots 
and fibres, with fallen and decayed timber, to 
support the foot of the passenger. 

Amidst the recesses of the forests are nu- 
merous immense caverns, which are often fre- 
quented in times of war as places of retreat,* 
and at other times used by the jiolahy, or bri- 
gands, to conceal themselves and their plunder. 
Those retreats are seldom known, except to 
tho3e who live in their immediate neighbour- 

* A curious instance of this kind occurred some time ago in 
the Sakalava country. Radama, with a large army, undertook 
the subjugation of the province. At the close of the campaign, 
he married Rasalina, daughter of the king of the Sakalavas. 
Referring afterwards to the war between Radama and her fa- 
ther, she remarked to some officers who had accompanied the 
king, " We saw you, during your whole march, and observed 
all your movements in search of us. We were near you in 
the woods, and concealing ourselves in caverns ; and on one 
occasion you actually walked over our heads, without ever ima- 
gining we were so near." Yet there were several thousand 
persons with Radama, and as many with the Sakalava prince 



24 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

hood ; hence they are but rarely discovered by 
persons from other provinces. 

The forests yield abundance of timber ; be- 
sides dyewoods, and wood suitable for cabinet 
work, carpentry, and ship building. Among 
the many valuable trees and forest plants may 
be mentioned the ampaly^ whose hard leaf is 
used to polish wood-ware; ebony; avoha^ixova 
which a coarse paper is . made ; tapia, on 
which the silk worm is extensively reared ; the 
grape, the fig, and tlie bamboo. There is, be- 
sides, a tree which yields the gum copal ; the 
azainuy of whose trunk the canoes are made 
and whose juice is used in fastening knives, 
&c., into their handles ; the voahena, which is 
very abundant and yields the gum elastic; the 
hibiscus, which is manufactured into cordage 
and cloth ; the mimosa, planted about the 
tombs ; the splendid euphorbia, used as a com- 
mon fence ; and the tangenctj of whose deadly 
use an account will be given in another place. 
Almost every variety of spices, and the richest 
fruits and plants of the torrid zone are pro- 
duced in abundance. Flowers are numerous 
and of the rarest kinds. Honey, wax, and 
gums are abundant in the forests ; and no less 
than twelve kinds of oil are obtained from the 



HISTORY OF I^IADAGASCAR. 25 

numerous vegetable productions of the coun- 
try. 

Among the bnds are found, either native or 
recently introduced, ahuost all that are known 
in Europe and America ; on their lakes and 
rivers, are wild ducks and geese ; in the forests, 
the pheasant, the peacock, the turkey, the tur- 
tle-dove and the bird of paradise ; and in the 
more unfrequented parts of the island, the fal- 
con, the eagle, and the ostrich. 

Of the native productions used as articles of 
food, rice holds the principal place. To the 
Malagasy, as to many of the eastern nations, it 
is the staff of life. 

The cocoa-nut is thought to be of recent date 
in the island, and is supposed to have been 
borne by the waves from some other soil, and 
washed to the shores of Madagascar about one 
hundred and fifty years ago. The bread-fruit 
tree is of still more recent introduction. Plan- 
tains and bananas have been known from time 
immemorial. There are also several kinds of 
yams, called by the natives, ovy ; the manioc 
plant, al^o c^WedLnianga-hazo ; Indian corn, or 
maize, and large millet ; several kinds of beans, 
gourds, melons, pine-apples, and earth-nuts. 
Lemons,' oranges, citrons, limes, peaches, and 
3 



26 HISTORY OP MADA(?ASCAR. 

mulberries also flourish luxuriantly ; some of 
which, it is said, were first planted by the 
French in the south of the island. Many edible 
roots and vegetables cultivated in the neigh- 
bouring islands, at the Cape of Good Hope, 
and in Europe, have been introduced within 
the last few years, by the late James Hastie, 
and still more extensively by the mem- 
bers of the Mission. To them the island is 
indebted for several varieties of the Cape vine, 
the Cape fig, quinces, pomegranates, and, as 
an experiment, walnuts and almonds. Coffee 
has been found to succeed well. Wheat, bar- 
ley, and oats have been produced, but are not 
much prized by the natives, and do not seem 
to flourish in their soil. The European potato 
is extensively cultivated, and highly esteemed. 

The quadrupeds of Madagascar extend to 
but few varieties, yet they comprise those most 
useful to a nation in the early stages of civili- 
zation. 

Horned cattle are numerous, both tame and 
wild, and constitute the principal wealth of the ! 
chiefs and nobles of the island. The tame 
cattle are of the zebu or bufTalo kind, and have j 
a large hump on the back between the shoul- j 
ders. They not only furnish a large portion of [ 



HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 27 

the means of subsistence, but are exported in 
great numbers to the Islands of Bourbon and 
Mauritius, and furnished to shipping visiting 
the coast for suppUes. 

Individuals residing in the capital, who pos- 
sess large herds of cattle, generally send them 
under the care of their slaves into some unen- 
closed part of the country, fifty or a hundred 
miles distant, where they are kept till required 
for the home market, or sent to the coast for 
sale or exportation. Many that are kept up 
and fed, resemble the prize animals of th6 Eng- 
lish market, and are reserved for some distin- 
guished occasion of domestic, civil, or religious 
festivity. Their mode of feeding their oxen is 
singular. Each village has its fahitra, or cat- 
tle-folds, into which the horned cattle, for se- 
curity, are driven every evening, and whence 
they go forth to pasturage in the morning. 
Cattle are also kept in the fold for the purpose 
of being fattened. 

The fahitra is an enclosure, usually a large 
square pit, dug out in front of the owner ^s 
house, and within the v/alls by which the 
family residence is surrounded. It is generally 
about six yards square, and about five feet 
deep. A sort of shed is sometimes erected in 



28 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR, 




it, under which the provision is placed for the 
cattle. The provision is sometimes placed ii. 
a kind of rack ; but it is also placed so high 
that the animal is compelled to stand the whole | 
time of feeding, in a position that forces the j 
chief weight of its body on its hind-legs, j 
Whether the custom originated in accident or j 
design, is uncertain, but it is universal, and is | 
supposed to aid in fattening the animal better ) 
than oar mode of allowing them to stand on p: i 
level floor. Sometimes animals are fed in this 
manner for three or four years, and attain an | 
enormous size, especially those belonging to. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 29 

the rich, and intended for the day of slaughter - 
at the annual feast, or some other season of 
iTejoicing and display. 

Sheep, goats, and swine are also abundant. 
Dogs are found in some parts, and the wild- 
cat, an exceedingly beautiful animal. Besides 
these, there are among the wild animals the 
baboon, the monkey, the fox, the rat, the 
mouse, and the large-winged bat, which is 
sometimes eaten by the natives; crocodiles 
swarm in the rivers, and are regarded by the 
natives with superstitious veneration. Fish 
are abundant, except in the more elevated parts 
of the island. 

Among the reptiles of the island are lizards, 
scorpions, centipedes, and spiders. Serpents 
abound in the woods, and though few if any 
are venomous, some are large, and have been 
known to destroy wild cattle. Among the 
lizards is found the beautiful chameleon, and 
the insect tribes of Madagascar comprehend 
the silk worm and the brilliant firefly. 



3* 



30 



HISTORY OF MADAaASCAR. 



CHAPTER IIL 

Provinces — Ankova — Capital — Palace — Burial-place — Courts 
— Place of Execution — Place of the Kabarys — King's 
Cottage-— Houses — Population of Madagascar — Two Races 
— ^Olive race— Dark race — Intellectual character — Moral 
character — Deceit-=Love of home— Hospitality. 

Madagascar contains twenty»t\vo large 
provinces : 



1. Vohimarina, 

2. Maroa, 

3. Ivongo. 

4. -Nlahavelona, 

5. Tamatave, 

6. Betanimena, 

7. Anteva, 

8. Matitanana, 

9. VangaidranOj 

10. Anosy, 

11. Androy, 



12. Isieiiimbalalaj 

13. Ibara, 

14. Betsileo, 

15. -Nlenabe^ 

16. Ambongo, 

17. Iboina, 

18. Antsianaka, 

19. Ankay, 

20. Aiikova, 

21. Mahafaly, 

22. Fiarenana. 



Ankova, the country or province of the | 
Hovas, is the most important province inthfef 

Its inhabitants are: 



island of Madagascar 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 31 

more numerous, industrious, ingenious, and 
wealthy, than those of any other part of the 
country. It is the centre of the empire, the 
seat of the government, and the scene of the 
principal efforts hitherto made in the country, 
to introduce education, European improve- 
ments, arts and sciences, and to promote civili- 
zation. Its climate is the most salubrious in the 
island, and its soil, though to a great extent 
still untilled, has yet been brought under suf- 
ficient improvement and culture to maintain 
a large population. 

From its extreme want of wood, the general 
appearance of Ankova is barren, dreary, and 
uninteresting. The eye is fatigued with tra- 
versing its numerous hills and mountains in 
search of vegetation, as a relief from the dul- 
ness of the unvarying scene, which a country, 
generally destitute of brushwood, grove, or 
forest, presents. In the rainy, which is also 
the warm season, vegetation is extremely 
rapid ; the valleys, carpeted with the loveliest 
green, are then rich in luxuriant verdure, and 
even the tops of the mountains, and the rounded 
summits of the thousand hills, clothed for a few 
months in the year with a coarse and dwarfish 
grass, assume an aspect of comparative cheer- 



32 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

fulness. But in the dry, which is also the cold 
and wintry season, the appearance of the 
whole country, excepting the meadows, and a 
few spots artificially watered, is exceedingly 
barren. 

The greater part of Ankova may be consi- 
dered hilly, rather than mountainous. Few 
of its highest mountains rise above five or six' 
hundred feet above the level of the surround- 
ing rice grounds. The capital itself, Tanana- 
rivo, is situated on the summit of a long irre- 
gular hill, about five hundred feet high. The 
principal mountains in Ankova, are chiefly dis- 
tinguished as the scene of legendary .tales, re- 
counting the mighty achievements of giants, and 
other monstrous beings. The altars erected by 
former generations on the summits of these 
mountains, to the memory of such extraordi- 
nary personages, still exist, and are visited by 
the people as the appropriate places for prayer 
and sacrifice to the spirits of the mighty dead. 
On the tops of some of these mountains are 
still existing the remains of ancient villages. 

Ankova, although it has few trees to im- 
prove or diversify its appearance, excepting 
the wild fig, which is met with in most of ihc 
villages, is bounded by forests to the north and 



HISTORY or MADAGASCAR. 33 

east. To its being thlis clear of wood, and its 
consequently favouring the free circulation of 
the air, may in part be attributed the salubrity 
of Ankova, and the north of Betsileo, for here 
the Malagasy fever is as much an exotic as it 
is indigenous almost everywhere else. 

The valleys and low grounds are principally 
used for the cultivation of rice : bogs and 
marshes, which are too swampy for the growth 
of rice, are planted with rushes ; a valuable 
production to the cultivator, being in extensive 
demand for thatching, making baskets, matting, 
hats, fuel, &c. The higher level grounds, and 
the sides of the hills, where the ascent is not so 
steep as to expose the soil to the liability of 
being washed away in the rainy season, are 
planted with manioc, sweet potatoes, gourds, 
sugar cane, beans, &c. 

The Ikiopa is the finest river within a great 
'distance of the capital, which at unequal dis- 
tances it almost surrounds. This river waters 
the fine vale of Betsimitatatra, which lies to 
the west of the capital. The vale itself reaches 
from thirty to forty miles, in a direction from 
north to south, varying in width from half a 
mile to four miles. It is, however, impossible, 
merely by specifying its length and width, to 



34 HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 

convey an accurate idea of the form or beauty 
of the Betsimitatatra vale. Its rich produc- 
tions throughout its whole extent, its irregular 
outline, terminated by innumerable rising 
grounds and gently sloping hills, covered with 
villages, or adorned with cultivation, continu- 
ally present to the traveller new and varying 
scenes of tranquillity and loveliness. In the 
rainy season especially, Betsimitatatra, viewed 
from the capital, presents the most charming 
and delightful scenery. It is extensively cul- 
tivated, and the beautiful green of the rice 
plantations, in the early part of the season , is 
not surpassed by the finest herbage of the 
European landscape. 

Tananarivo, the capital of Imerina, and now 
of Madagascar, stands on the summit of a lofty, 
long, and irregular hill ; it commands an ex- 
tensive prospect of the surrounding country, 
and of not fewer, perhaps, than a hundred 
smaller towns and villages. The highest ele- 
vation of Tananarivo above the adjoining vale, 
is about five hundred feet. Its elevation above 
the level of the sea is believed to be about 
seven thousand feet. The direction of the hill 
is nearly north-west and south-east. The two 
principal paths to its summit wind up in an 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 35 

extremely irregular manner ; one from the east 
to the centre of the town, and another from the 
north, proceeding through the town to its 
southern extremity. 

The signification of the name Tananarivo is 
determined by its etymology. Arivo signifies 
a thousand; tanana means a town. The 
compound word will therefore signify a thou- 
sand towns. 

The summit and the sides of the hill, on 
which the city stands, are covered with build- 
ings, especially near the top. The houses are 
built on the declivities by means of artificially 
levelled terraces, of twenty, thirty, or forty feet 
in width, formed one above another. A princi- 
pal thoroughfare, or road, divides the town from 
east to west ; out of which branch innumera- 
ble small pathways, leading between the 
houses, where, however, room is scarcely left 
in some places for two foot-passengers to pass ; 
and even that little can only be obtained with 
difficulty, perhaps by means of enormous 
stones jutting out of a bank, amidst hollows 
caused by incessant torrents of rain, or across 
some mass of rock projecting over a frightful 
precipice beneath. The nature of the ground 
on which the city stands precludes the possi- 



36 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

bility of regularity in the formation of the 
streets or the disposition of the buildings. 

The principal houses in the capital are built 
of wood, and are sometimes substantial and 
durable. The chief entrance always faces the 
west. The threshold of the door being often 
raised eighteen inches or two feet above the 
level of the pathway, a block of stone is placed 
outside the door as a step, and another inside 
to assist in reaching the floor. The houses are 
detached, and generally surrounded by a low 
mud wall. The fronts of several compara- 
tively new houses are screened by verandas, 
and a few of recent construction, belonging to 
the officers of government, have boarded floors. 
In general, a coarse and strong matting, spread 
on the earth, constitutes the bed, table, and 
floor of the inhabitants. 

In nearly all the houses, a hearth or fire- 
place is made, not far from the centre of the 
building, consisting of three, or usually five 
square upright stones, fixed at suitable dis- 
tances, and used in cooking. No chimneys 
exist; hence the annoyance from the smoke is 
great, and, in some of the houses whose roofs 
are low, it is intolerable to a European. Most 
of the natives have fires occasionally kept in 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 37 

all their dwellings, though the cooking maybe 
performed in a detached building. The cli- 
mate of Madagascar is sufficiently cool, during 
a greater part of the year, to render a fire an 
agreeable domestic companion, especially dur- 
ing their evening hours. 

One peculiarity in the construction of the Ma- 
lagasy houses respects the roof. The pitch is 
generally much greater from the wall-plate to 
the ridge, than the height of the building from 
the ground to the lower edge of the roof. 
Fifteen feet for the height of the walls, and 
twenty-three for the roof, is not unusual. At 
the gable-ends are also placed long poles, orna- 
mented by rudely carved ornaments at the ex- 
tremity. The greater the rank of the owner 
of the house, the longer the poles. The prero- 
gative of building the highest house in the 
capital belongs to the sovereign ; no one dares 
build his house above the king's. The Euro- 
pean method of building with roofs of a lower 
pitch, and with sloping ends, has been gene- 
rally adopted in the houses lately built, and 
promises to supersede the plan of building with 
steep gable-ends.- The chief objection to it 
with a Malagasy is, that neither his father nor 

his grafndfather built theirdwelUngs inthatform. 
4 



38 HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 

The thatching of the roof, in good houses, 
consists of the herana^ a rush, of which abun- 
dance is found in the neighbourhood of the 
capital. The Malagasy mode of thatching 
bears a strong resemblance to that practised by 
the South Sea Islanders. The rush is folded 
over a slender cane, to which it is tied down 
by a small reed. The cane is about five or 
six feet in length, and when filled with rushes, 
is fastened to bamboo rafters placed on the 
principal timbers. The folias of prepared 
rushes are placed one over another, at the dis- 
tance of two or three inches from the margin. 
Roofs thus constructed look remarkably neat, 
and generally last from seven to ten years. The 
two palaces lately erected by Radama, and one 
or two other houses, have shingled roofs, simi- 
lar to those used in the Isle of France. 

Many of the poorer houses are constructed 
of the zozoro^ a species of rush, formed, by 
means of small canespassingthroughtherushes, 
into a sort of mat. These, fastened to a few 
upright poles driven into the earth, complete 
the houses of great numbers of the inhabitants 
of Madagascar. Some are also built of bam- 
boos split and beaten flat. These are all much 
colder than the wooden houses. * Three or four 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 39 

dollars will be sufficient to complete a mode- 
rate-sized residence of this kind. No mud- 
wall houses are built in the capital, but many 
in the immediate vicinity. Some of these are 
coloured with different kinds of earths, as yel- 
low or light pink, and give a pleasing variety 
to the scenery in which they appear. 

In the centre, and near the highest part of 
the town, stand the buildings constituting the 
palace, surrounded by a high palisading of 
strong poles. The ground on which they are 
erected has been raised by artificial means 
seven or eight feet above the public road which 
passes by it. The raised ground is well sup- 
ported by means of a neat and strong stone wall, 
of native construction. The palisadoes are 
placed about six feet from the edge of this 
stone coping: they are about eighteen or 
twenty feet in height, firmly driven into the 
earth : those around the northern division are 
united by cross-beams placed on the top, into 
which large spears, painted yellow in imitation 
of gold, are driven with their points up- 
wards. 

Near by is the sepulchre of the kings, the 
place of the courts, and the place of execution. 
The courts are held in the open air, beneath 



40 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

the shadow of the fig trees or on the stone 
fence of the palace. Formerly the judges met 
to hear causes and administer justice, in a 
house. On one occasion, however, not many 
years since, the king was passing by the house 
in which the judges were assembled, when they 
omitted to rise and pay his majesty the usual 
token of homage, either not seeing, or pretend- 
ing not to see the king : Radama, tenacious of 
respect, and believing, with a Spanish monarch, 
that '' no ceremony should be deemed a trifle, 
since the king himself is but a ceremony,^^ re- 
solved, that " those who could see, and would 
not, should be made to see,'^ and, accordingly, 
ordered the house to be instantly taken down, 
and directed that, in future, all causes should 
be tried, and awards given, in broad daylight, 
that the administration of justice might be 
open, and no one find excuse for not paying 
due respect to majesty. 

The place of execution for criminals con- 
victed of the highest ofl'ences is a lofty rock. 
The fall of the unhappy victim may be about 
sixty or eighty feet; when he is inevitably 
killed, being dashed amid the scattered masses 
of broken rock lying at that distance : the fall 
is then from three to four hundred feet further 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 41 

to the base of the hill, from the edge of which 
he has been hurled. 

The usual place of execution for ordinary- 
criminals is at the southern extremity of the 
hill on which the town is built. It is call- 
ed Amhohipotsy, It is a dreary spot, — 
adapted to excite deep and melancholy feel- 
ings. Numerous skulls are scattered over the 
ground, the only remains of unhappy victims, 
who, having suffered the sentence of the law, 
were left as they fell, to be devoured by dogs 
and birds. These animals appear familiar 
with the place, and the scenes of terror it so 
often exhibits, and, as if instinctively attracted 
to it, flock to the spot whenever there is an ex- 
ecution, and seize their prey almost before the 
executioners have left the ground. No one 
dares remove the body of a criminal for inter- 
ment, without previously obtaining the express 
permission of the sovereign. 

To the northern end of the capital is the place 
where the kabarys, or public assemblies, are 
held. It is a large open space, well suited, by 
its natural formation, for the purpose for which 
it is used; and will continue to be esteemed as 
such, so long as the custom obtains of assem- 
bling the people en masse to receive messages 



42 HISTOSY OF MADAGASCAR. 

froiii the sovereign, and to transact all public 
aff-drs. On the north, south, and east of this 
spacious area, the ground gently rises, giving 
the site somev/hat the appearance of a natural 
amphitheatre, where from eighty to one iiun- 
dred thousand persons may conveniently as- 
semble and witness all that passes. 

Like many other towns, the capital was 
formerly surrounded by ditches, and defended 
by gates ; some ruins of them still remain. 

In the immediate vicinity of Tananarivo are 
two residences erected by Radama ; one at 
Mahazoarivo, being merely a cottage, intended 
to form a retreat from the bustle of the town, 
and built on a very limited plan; and the 
other at Soa-ierana, still unfinished, but form- 
ing a mansion or palace on a highly respecta- 
ble scale. 

Mahazoarivo is a small village, distant 
about two miles south-east from the capital. 
The cottage was built, and the grounds laid j 
out, entirely under the direction of Radama, 
The cottage itself qonsists of three rooms, to 
which are attached numerous outhouses. It 
was built in 1826, by Malagasy workmen, and 
the interior is neatly fitted up in the European 
style. The garden contains a collection of all 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 43 

plants, shrubs, flowers, &c. introduced by fo- 
reigners to the country; and a considerable, 
though still extremely imperfect collection, of 
those found in the island. It was the intention 
of the king to have rendered the collection of 
the plants of Madagascar as complete as he 
possibly could. When his leisure from public 
business permitted it, he spent much of his 
time in this retreat, and sought amusement 
sometimes in a bull-fight, and occasionally in 
the more quiet, but equally useful occupation, 
of superintending the care of the garden. 
Close within the gates of the front entrance, 
the king had formed with grass turfs two let- 
ters, " R. R.'' " Radama Rex,'^ one on each side 
the great path to the cottage. Who, twenty 
years before, would have thought of a Mada- 
gascar chieftain carving out, in the turfs of his 
garden, the initials* of his name and sove- 
reignty in the learned language of Europe ? 

The houses in and about the capital are su- 
perior to all others in the island. The best are 
constructed of wood, others are built of bam- 
boo, some of rushes, and some of mud ; the 
poorest kind are merely excavations in the 
earth. Except in the materials of which they 
are built, they resemble each other ; all have 



44 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

the same divisions^ the window m the north, 
the door to the south, and the fireplace in the 
centre. The floors are composed of red and 
yellow mats; on these they repose without 
any sort of covering, sometimes with a pillow 
for the head, resembling a sofa-pillow, and 
sometimes only with a log of wood under the 
mat. 

The population of Madagascar is 4,450,000, 
which is evidently much less than the island 
has contained at former, and not remote pe- 
riods of its history. The extensive plains 
which were once cultivated rice fields, but are 
now overgrown with grass and brushwood, 
and the scattered ruins of villages, or even whole 
ranges of villages now wholly deserted, show, 
though imperfectly, the extent to which the 
country has been depopulated. 

The female sex greatly preponderates, 
which, as well as the diminution of popula- 
tion, may be in part accounted for by the fear- 
ful waste of life among the men in their frequent 
and barbarous wars. The slave trade, wars^ 
infanticide, and the prevalence of a certain 
class of diseases, will account for the small 
population of an island capable of supporting 
at least five times its present number. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 45 

Madagascar is not inhabited by a single 
race, but by a number of distinct tribes, evi- 
dently derived from more than one source, and 
though now united under one government, yet 
differing in many respects from each other. 
The distinction most strongly marked, is that 
of colour, and this separates the population of 
Madagascar into two great classes; the one 
distinguished by a light, exquisitely formed 
person, fair complexion, and straight or curl- 
ing hair ; the other more robust and dark co- 
loured, with crisped or woolly hair. 

The Hovas, or inhabitants of Ankova, may 
be taken as a specimen of the olive race ; 
their complexion is a light olive, frequently 
fairer than that of the inhabitants of the southern 
parts of Europe. Their features rather flat 
than prominent; their lips occasionally thick 
and projecting, but often thin, and the lower 
gently projecting, as in the Caucasian race : 
their hair is black, but soft, fine, and straight, 
or curUng ; their eyes are haze], their figure 
erect; and though inferior in size to some. of 
the other tribes, they are well proportioned. 
Their Umbs are small, but finely formed ; and 
their gait and movements are agile, free, and 
graceful. Though distinguished by their 



46 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

promptitude and activity, their strength is in- 
ferior to that of other tribes ; and they are far 
more susceptible of fatigue from travelUng or 
labour. 

To the other class belong the Sakalavas, a 
brave and generous people, and, physically con- 
sidered, the finest race in Madagascar. In per- 
son they are tall and robust, but not corpulent ; 
their limbs are well formed, muscular, and 
strong. They: features are regular, and oc- 
casionally prominent ; their countenance open 
and prepossessing ; their eyes dark, and their 
glance keen and piercing ; their hair black and 
shining, often long, though the crisped or curly 
hair occurs more frequently among them than 
the inhabitants of other provinces. Their as- 
pect is bold and imposing, their step firm 
though quick, and their address and movements 
often graceful, and always unembarrassed. j 

Like most uncivilized nations, the Malagasy | 
are exceedingly averse to any effort either of j 
mind or body ; they are not, however, deficient 
in mental power; on the contrary, their system 
of government, their keenness in trade, and their 
few specimens of poetry and eloquence, give ] 
proof of considerable strength of mind. Since [ 
the introduction of books, and the labours of ]j 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 47 

the missionaries among them, many of the 
most ignorant have in a very short time 
learned to read their own language with flu- 
ency and ease, and others already more culti- 
vated have advanced with equal rapidity. 

In the moral qualities of the Malagasy there 
is little that can be regarded with complacency: 
they are cruel, ambitious, revengeful, and avari- 
cious, and when they possess the means, indulg- 
ing in gluttony and intemperance. The relative 
affections are often feeble and uncertain, and 
generosity and gratitude are without a name 
in the language. In some of the races, dupli- 
city is the most conspicuous trait of character. 
There are more words to express the various 
modes of deceiving than are applied to any 
other vice. In bartering, every trader asks at 
least twice as much as he expects to take ; and 
they never forget to boast of any instances of 
successful fraud. The people dehght in fabu- 
lous tales ; but in none so much as those that 
relate instances of successful deceit, or fraud. 

Lying is a common vice among all. To lie 
is esteemed cunning and pleasant, and more 
likely to serve one's purpose of interest or plea- 
sure than to tell truth. In short, their constant 
aim is, in business to swindle ; in professed 



48 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

friendship to extort; and in mere conversation 
to exaggerate and fabricate. The laws regard 
the testimony of witnesses as a part of circmn- 
stantial evidence, to be opposed by contrary 
testimony or evidence. Lying has in some 
cases been enforced on the natives, it having 
been required of every Hova, when speaking 
with foreigners on pohtical matters, to state the 
exact opposite to truth, on pain of punishment. 
So far has this been carried, that it was once a 
serious and pubhc complaint against Chris- 
tianity, that it taught the people to scruple at 
telling lies, even to deceive their country's 
enemies. 

Their love of home is a conspicuous and 
pleasing characteristic. With rare exceptions 
they leave home with deep regret, and if the 
period of return be delayed, many become 
melancholy, and some fall victims to their love 
of home. 

The Hovas often, when setting out on a 
journey, take with them a small portion of 
their native earth, on which they often gaze 
when absent, and invoke their god that they 
may be permitted to return to restore it to the 
place from which it was taken. But when re- 
turning from a foreign land to their native 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 49 

island, or from a distant province to their own, 
every countenance beams with gladness ; they 
seem to be strangers to fatigue, and seek, by 
singing and dancing on their way, to give vent 
to the fulness of their joy. 

Throughout the country, with the exception 
of perhaps one or two of the portions but little 
known and seldom visited, and where the in- 
habitants are suspicious or reserved, whenever 
a stranger in the course of his journey enters a 
village, and if he only proposes to remain and 
rest for a short season, a present is almost in- 
variably brought him of rice, poultry, and fruit, 
or whatever other refreshment the village af- 
fords ; and if disposed to delay his departure 
till the next day, he will experience no diffi- 
culty in obtaining the best accommodations in 
the village. Whatever house he approaches, 
if the proprietors are within, he is politely in- 
vited to enter, and is cordially welcomed. A 
mat is spread, on which he is directed to sit or 
recline, and he is either assisted in preparing 
his own provisions, if he carry these with him, 
or solicited with respectful courtesy to partake 
of the best which the house may contain. This 
is followed by a succession of attentions and 
civilities, which cannot fail to convince him, 

5 



50 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

that if he is not among the most polished and 
refined portions of human society, he is not 
among rude and unfriendly barbarians. 

The hospitality of the people is in part to be 
ascribed to their customs in regard to their 
chiefs, who always require to be entertained 
with the best that can be provided, whenever 
they travel among the people. In the latter 
part of his reign, the late king issued a pro- 
clamation, declaring that, while all the provi- 
sion and other kinds of property belonged to 
the subjects, all the houses in the country be- 
longed to the sovereign ; and calling on the in- 
habitants to furnish lodgings to his servants or 
soldiers whenever they might require them. 
In order to satisfy himself as to the degree of 
attention paid to his proclamation, he went 
shortly afterwards in disguise to a village at 
some distance from the capital, and towards 
evening entered one of the houses, and solicited 
shelter and accommodation for the night. This 
was not refused by the heads of the family, 
but rendered in a, way that prevented the guest 
from concluding, by any possible mistake, that 
he was welcome. He soon left, and travelled 
to the next house that appeared likely to yield 
the shelter he required. Here he was cor- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 51 

dially welcomed, and hospitably entertained 
with the best that the host could provide. On 
the following morning, when taking his leave, 
Radama, not less to the surprise than conster- 
nation of the whole family, made himself 
known, and left them with assurances that 
they should not be forgotten. He remembered 
his word ; and soon after his return to the 
capital, sent his officers to the village, with a 
severe reprimand to the man tinder whose roof 
he had found himself an unwelcome guest, and 
a handsome present for the peasant family by 
whom he had been generously entertained. 



52 HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Manners and Customs — Children — Infanticide — Forbidden by 
Radama — Food of the Malagasy — Rice — Manner of taking 
meals — Use of tobacco — Longevity of the natives — Dis- 
eases — Malagasy fever — Treatment of the sick — Funeral 
ceremonies — Places of burial — Funeral of the king — Forms 
of salutation — Swearing — ^Instruments of music — Clothing 
— Ornaments, 

The manners and customs of the Malagasy- 
are in general the same throughout the island, 
and probably the same now as they have been 
for centuries; innovation and injury are in 
their minds the same, and it is sufficient objec- 
tion to any change, that "their fathers did not 
do so.^' 

In the habits and usages of the Malagasy 
in social life, we find a strange mingling 
of kindness and cruelty. Thus, in regard to 
their offspring in general, the Malagasy are 
fond of children, and a numerous family is re- 
garded as an honour and a blessing. There | 
are, however, certain days and hours, which 
the Malagasy regard as unlucky, and for an 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 53 

infant to be born at such times is fatal. These 
times are calculated by the astrologers, to whom 
the parents immediately repair on the birth of 
an infant, to learn its destiny, as if they could 
not give free current to the tide of their joyous 
and affectionate feehngs, until they have ascer- 
tained whether those feelings must be sup- 
pressed, and the object of their affections be 
torn away, or whether they might venture to 
express towards it their tenderness and love. 
The decision oif the astrologer is, either 
that the day is lucky and the child may live 
safely ; or that an offering must be presented to 
avert the evil ; or that it must be exposed to 
death ; or that it must die. When the child is to 
be exposed to death, it is laid on the ground in 
the narrow passage to the cattle fold, several 
cattle, are then driven in, and made to pass 
over the spot where the child is placed, while 
the parents with agonizing feelings stand by 
waiting the result. If the oxen pass over with- 
out injuring the infant, they believe that the 
evil destiny is removed, and the parents may 
embrace it and cherish it as one rescued from 
destruction. But should it be crushed to death, 
as is most frequently the case, their only con- 
solation is, that had it lived it would have been 
5* 



54 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

subject to the evil destiny which required its 
exposure to destruction. 

In some instances, however, death must be 
inflicted. Tlien no labour would secure ex- 
emption for the hapless victim ; no offering or 
sacrifice could propitiate the powers on whom 
its destiny depended, and avert its destruction; 
no treasures could purchase for it permission to 
live ; and those who otherwise would have 
cherished it with the tenderest affection, and 
have fostered it with unceasing care through 
infancy and childhood, are reduced to the dire 
necessity of extinguishing that life which the 
dictates of nature would have taught them to re- 
gard as equally precious with their own. Their 
modes of accomplishing their cruel purpose 
are too awful for description. 

During the reign of Radama, this inhuman 
practice was almost entirely done away, and in 
a manner remarkably characteristic of the king. 
"All the infants condemned to death by the as- 
trologers,'^ said he, " are mine, and he who kills 
one of them shall die.'' This not only furnished 
the parents with a sufficient reason for disobey- 
ing the command of the astrologers, but by 
giving to their offspring the title of " the king's 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 55 

children/^ flattered their vanity, and secured 
their obedience. 

The number of infants destroyed by the 
South Sea Islanders, was not only greater than 
the number of those who were destroyed by 
the Malagasy, but the sacrifice was made 
from different motives; with the former it 
was pride, and their abominable licentious- 
ness ; with the Malagasy it was strict obedi- 
ence to their heartless superstitions. With 
the former the females were the chosen vic- 
tims, with the latter there was no distinction 
of sex. The infant which a cruel superstition 
has spared to the Malagasy parent, is cherished 
with an indulgence which is more frequently 
carried to excess than otherwise; and it is 
pleasing to record the testimony of those who 
have dwelt among the people, that instances 
are numerous, in which the affection of the 
parents has been reciprocated by the children, 
many of whom have been known to love and 
honour their parents even to old age. 

The power of parents over the liberty of 
their child, is universally acknowledged ; and 
parents are permitted by the judges to sell dis- 
obedient and stubborn children into slavery — 
instances of which have occurred. 



56 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

Whatever jealousies may render the wives 
of one husband miserable, or whatever envy- 
ing and strife may exist between the children 
of the wife and those of the concubines, it is 
pleasing to contemplate the Malagasy home as 
one that is imbittered by few quarrels between 
parents and children. The former maintain 
the authority of their relation, so far as it -is 
exercised, without sufficiently, or, in many 
cases, at all curbing the early development of 
youthful passions ; the children, however, are 
taught from their infancy to cherish respect for 
their parents, and the aged, as one of the first 
obligations in society. 

The means of subsistence are procured by 
the Malagasy in great abundance, and with 
comparative ease ; and if they exhibit less va- 
riety than prevails in other countries in the 
same latitude, they are yet most valuable in 
kind, and highly conducive to vigour and health. 
The animal food of the Malagasy comprises 
the flesh of fish, fowls, and beasts, including 
those kinds esteemed best by all tribes of men^l 
Among the several kinds of animal food, the 
flesh of the ox is most valuable and abundant. | 
Beef is termed, by way of eminence', /iena,\ 
meat; all other kinds of meat being distin-! 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 57 

guished by affixing the animaPs name. The 
distinction probably arose from the flesh of the 
ox being the first, and for a time the only, as 
it is now the chief, kind of animal food used 
by the people. The ox is the only animal that 
is slaughtered for sale in the markets ; sheep, 
goats, and all others, are sold alive. Besides 
beef and*mutton, veal and lamb are sometimes 
used. 

No pigs are allowed to come to the capital ; 
but pork is eaten in the Sakalava country, and 
other parts of the island inhabited by the dark- 
coloured tribes, who also eat the flesh of the 
wild boar. Goats are eaten by some, as are 
also monkeys and hedgehogs, of many kinds 
and degrees of delicacy. 

The poultry of the Malagasy comprises tur- 
keys, geese, and ducks, with tame and wild fowl. 
Common fowls are abundant. They have also 
a species of wild fowl resembling the pheasant; 
guinea-fowl, tame and wild ; various kinds of 
birds, especially one in shape like a partridge, 
but smaller. Tortoises, turtles ; eggs of hens, 
ducks, and all birds, as well as those of the 
crocodile. In their estimate of eggs used as 
food, those that contain chickens are said to be 
considered the greatest delicacies. The eggs 



5S HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

of the crocodile are taken in large numbers in 
some parts of the island : and the missionaries 
have seen as many as five hundred eggs 
gathered for food by one family. Their lighter 
kinds of animal food, like that of the Africans 
on the adjacent continent, comprise locusts 
and several sorts of grasshoppers. 

Large swarms of locusts are often seen in 
Madagascar in the spring and summer. They 
generally approach the central parts of the 
island from the southern and western quarter, 
and pass like a desolating scourge over the 
face of the country, leaving the trees and shrubs 
entirely leafless, and destroying the plantations 
of rice and manioc, and whatever the gardens 
contain. Their appearance on approaching 
is like a dense cloud of considerable ex- 
tent, the lowest part of which is about two 
feet above the ground, while the upper 
part rises to a great elevation. The natives, 
on the approach of the locusts, fly to their gar- 
dens, and by shouts and noises of the most 
tumultuous kind endeavour to prevent their 
alighting. In the uncultivated parts of the 
country, they often dig holes, of large dimen- 
sions, and nearly a foot deep, in which great 
quantities are collected and taken ; or they ar- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 59 

rest them in their flight by means of wide shal- 
low baskets, or by striking them down with 
their lambas, after which they are gathered up 
in baskets by the women and children. The 
locusts form at times an important article of 
food ; for this purpose they are caught as above 
described, slightly cooked, and eaten, after the 
legs and wings have been picked off; or they 
are partially boiled in large iron or earthen 
vessels, dried in the sun, and repeatedly win- 
nowed, in order to clear the bodies from the 
legs and wings : they are afterwards packed 
up in baskets, and carried to the market for 
sale, or kept in large sacks or baskets in the 
house for domestic use. 

Locusts are usually cooked by frying them 
in an iron or earthen vessel. Shrimps ar^ not 
unknown in the island, and the natives say that 
in taste the locusts resemble them. 

An equally singular, but scarcely less fre- 
quent article of food among the Malagasy, is 
the silk worm in its chrysalis state. Consi- 
derable quantities of these are gathered, and 
exposed in large baskets or sacks for sale in 
the markets of the Betsileo country, and in 
some of the districts of Imerina, more particu- 
larly Imamo, where the tapia edulis, the plant 



60 HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 

on which the silk worm of Madagascar feeds, 
grows spontaneously in great luxuriance and 
abundance. Silk worms are cooked and eaten 
by the natives of Betsileo and Imerina as 
grasshoppers and fish are prepared apd taken 
by the inhabitants of other provinces. 

The fish eaten by the natives are not nume- 
rous. A species resembling trout in form and 
size, with a considerable variety of smaller fish, 
especially a kind of the size and appearance of 
sprats, taken in the canals or branches of the 
rice grounds, and in the inland ponds, are much 
used. Eels, some of them remarkably large, 
crawfish, and oysters are also used in different 
parts of the country. 

Among the vegetable productions used as 
articles of food rice holds the principal place.* 
It is the most important and general article of 
support to the whole population, and may be I 
,\ 

* In the year 1696 a vessel on her way to Charleston, South 
Carolina, touched a! Madagascar, to obtain supplies ; she was i 
furnished, among other things, with a quantity of rice of a su- ] 
perior quality : on reaching her port about half a bushel re- '; 
mained, which was presented to a gentleman in Charleston, f 
and planted. The climate and soil proved favourable to its ; 
cultivation, and from this small beginning has sprung all the '^ 
rice of the southern states. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 61 

justly regarded here, as in many eastern coiin- 
tries^as the stafFof life. The natives consider rice 
alone 3.8 mahavoki/, "able to appease hunger, or 
satisfy the appetite.^' Every thing else, even 
the round of buffalo beef, is regarded only as 
an accompaniment to the rice. In ancient 
times, in some countries, the invitation to a 
feast was to eat bread ; and to take refresh- 
ment, of whatever it may consist, is, in the 
language of the country, to take bread ; so, in 
Madagascar, to eat rice signifies to take a 
meal; whatever is taken besides, is called 
laokay something eaten with rice, their chief 
food. 

Next to rice, the most valuable kinds of food 
are, the maize, or Indian corn, the manioc root, 
arrow-root, and several varieties of yam. To 
these may be added sweet potatoes, French 
beans, and most of the European esculent 
vegetables ; besides many valuable roots that 
grow in the plains, woods, or valleys, without 
culture. The Irish potato has ^Iso been intro- 
duced, and is becoming a favourite article of 
food. Onions are exotic. Leeks, pumpkins, 
melons, with many agreeable and wholesome 
vegetables resembling greens or cabbage, and 
others that have thick and pulpy leaves, are 
6 



62 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

eaten by the people. Capsicum, or Chili gin- 
ger, in a moist state, and saffron, are used as 
spices or condiments, together with salt, ob- 
tained by a process already described, or 
brought from the coast, where it is formed by 
evaporation. 

The fruits eaten by the people include pine- 
apples, oranges, lemons of various kinds, 
citrons, peaches, wild figs of several kinds; 
bananas and plantains, muscat grapes, Cape 
mulberries, and several kinds of berries which 
grow without culture. They have also a fruit 
resembling an unripe orange in appearance, 
the outer part of which consists of a shell of a 
pale yellow or straw colour, the inside being of 
a pulpy substance, enclosing a number of small 
seeds, and bearing a great resemblance to the 
guava ; also sugarcane and sugar. 

A kind of bread called ampempa is used by 
the inhabitants of some of the districts, particu- 
larly Imamo. It is a sort of unleavened bread 
made of Indian corn, which the natives call 
katsaka. To the above may be added honey, 
found in the forests, and milk, which is not 
much used by the natives. Very recently, 
butter and cheese have been made for use in 
the mission families. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 63 

The Malagasy methods of dressing their 
food are few. The most important part of 
their cookery consists in preparing their rice, 
which is generally boiled in a large round 
earthen or iron pot, with a very broad base ; 
which is placed on the stones, fixed in the 
hearth, in the centre of the house. 

The rice, which is kept in the husk in a sort 
of granary, is made ready for use in such 
quantities only as the daily consumption of the 
family may require. The rice is prepared with 
great care, and involves considerable labour : 
when first brought from the granary, it is put 
into a large stone or wooden mortar, about 
eighteen inches or two feet deep, and twelve 
or eighteen inches wide. Here it is carefully 
beaten in a peculiar manner, with a large 
wooden pestle, about five feet in length, so as 
to break and remove the outer husk without 
breaking the grain. The rice is then taken 
out, and separated from the husk by winnow- 
ing; it is then beaten in the mortar a second 
time, for the purpose of taking off the inner 
skin, which is also removed without breaking 
the grain : after this it is again submitted to the 
winnowing-fan, and the pieces of earth or 
small stones carefully picked out. The rice is 



64 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

then a third time submitted to the operation of 
the pestle, to remove any remaining portion of 
the inner covering of the grain; this being 
done, it is tossed in the winno wing-fan, washed 
in fresh clean water two or three times, and 
finally put into the earthen or iron vessel, and 
covered with water, when fuel is supplied 
until it boils. The water is allowed to boil 
slowly until the rice, which is never disturbed, 
gradually swells, absorbs the water, and en- 
crusts on the inside of the vessel — the rice in 
the middle becoming dry, though, towards the 
outside, the grains adhere. It is then pro- 
nounced masaka, " done, ripe.'^ 

The manner of taking meals among the 
Malagasy is remarkably simple and primitive. 
When the rice is cooked, and the laoka, what- 
ever it may be, (which is always dressed in a 
separate vessel,) is ready, the family, guided 
by the position of the sun in the heavens, ge-. 
nerally wend their way to the house. 

All classes, excepting the aged, the sick, and 
infants, or young children, take only two meals 
in the day ; the first about noon, and the second 
after sunset, usually from seven to eight o'clock 
in the evening. 

When the household, including the slaves. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 65 

meet at their ineal^, the master and the rest of 
the family seat themselves, in a kind of squat- 
ting position on mats spread for the purpose, 
on the west and north sides of the fireplace, 
leaning their backs against the sides of the 
house ; the slaves form themselves in a line on 
the ground, on the east and south sides of the 
dwelling. The hands of all are washed before 
they begin their meal. This is done by a slave 
going round with water in a zinga, or horn, 
which he pours on the hands of each indivi- 
dual, who thus prepares to take his repast. 




When all are ready, earthenware plates, or 
rather basons, fixed on a broad pedestal about 
a foot in height, are then filled by the slaves 
with rice, and on the top of the rice the laoka 
is placed. If meat, it is always previously cut 
into pieces or portions, according to the num- 
ber to be provided for. Whatever the laoka 
6* 



66 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

may be, whether meat, fowl, or fish, soup, 
honey, or vegetables, it is always placed on the 
rice. If the plate contains a portion for only 
one individual, a spoon is put into the rice, and 
it is placed by a slave before the person for 
whom it is designed. Sometimes the portions 
for two or three individuals are deposited in 
one basin, when an equal number of spoons 
made of horn are fixed in the rice. 

No forks are used at the Malagasy meals ; 
the hands serve as excellent substitutes, in the 
estimation of the people in general. There is 
generally but one knife, which is used by the 
slave who divides the portions of meat, or 
other laoka, for the several members of the 
family. 

A separate vessel of rice is in general cooked 
at the same fire for the slaves ; but when the 
number of the latter is small, sufficient rice is 
boiled for them as well as for their masters in 
one vessel, and they take their meal either at 
the same time or immediately after the family. 

As soon as the rice-dishes are emptied, a 
beverage resembling coffee is made by pouring 
water into the pan in which the rice had been 
boiled, and to the inside of which the burnt 
rice had adhered. This is boiled for a short 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 67 

time, when a portion of it, poured into a rice- 
basin, is given to each individual, by whom it 
is drunk without sugar or milk, being esteemed 
a wholesome, pleasant drink. 

The natives wash their hands after each 
meal in the manner already described ; and the 
teeth are cleansed with water poured into the 
mouth from a horn, which is not allowed to 
touch the lips. 

The people are not accustomed to sit long 
over their meals. The dinner is usually 
despatched in half an hour, when all imme- 
diately return to their several avocations. 

The meal at the close of the day is not ter- 
minated with equal despatch, as they seldom 
leave the house afterwards, excepting in the 
long evenings of summer. 

It has been already stated, that the Mala- 
gasy are not addicted to excessive drinking ; 
the exceptions chiefly occur on the coast. The 
general and indeed almost universal beverage 
of the natives is water. 

Ardent spirits have been imported by Euro- 
peans, and sold to the natives in exchange for 
rice ; involving families and sometimes whole 
districts in want and ruin. A French trading 
house also a few years ago established a large 



6S HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

distillery on the island, which threatens serious 
mischief to the people. The use of ardent 
spirits is prohibited at the capital on the se- 
verest penalties. The native still also pre- 
pares from the sugar-cane an intoxicating drink 
called taoka, and the juice of the rofia-tree 
furnishes a liquor of the same kind, and ob- 
tained in the same manner as the toddy of In- 
dia. These are, however, used occasionally 
as a luxury and not as a beverage. 

Tobacco is cultivated to a considerable ex- 
tent by the Malagasy, but it is not smoked, or 
used alone, as in other countries. With its 
medicinal properties the natives are acquainted, 
and in their medical preparations it is fre- 
quently employed, but it is chiefly used in the 
manufacture of snuff- In the preparation of 
this article, which is taken as a luxury and a 
stimulant, the leaves of tobacco are dried and 
pulverized ; to this powder is added the ashes 
of the leaves of a sweet-scented herb, in the 
proportions of two-thirds powdered tobacco, 
and one third ashes ; a small quantity of pot- 
ash or salt is thrown in, and the whole, well 
mixed, is considered fit for use. The Mala- 
gasy, it may be remarked, take great quanti- 
ties of snuff, but have their own mode of doing 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 69 

it. Europeans prefer taking it at the nose. 
The Malagasy, perhaps less wisely, prefer the 
mouth. The former deposit the grateful nar- 
cotic in the nostrils, the latter pour as much as 
the space will conveniently hold between the 
teeth in the lower jaw, and the inner surface 
of the under lip ; thence to suck it leisurely, 
they think renders the pleasure more lasting 
than a mere hasty, evanescent sniff could af- 
ford. Which custom is really most conforma- 
ble to nature, or best answers the purpose for 
which tobacco was originally designed, is a 
point which it is not essential at present to de- 
cide. 

The use of the rongona, or native hemp, a 
powerful stimulant, usually smoked, was for- 
merly very general ; it was frequently taken be- 
fore going to battle, on the same principle that 
an extra allowance of ardent spirits is served 
out to men in the army or navy of our own 
country before :>ing to action ; but its use has 
lately been prorubited by the government un- 
der the severest penalties. There is, however, 
every reason to believe that it is still used se- 
cretly as a means of intoxication, especially in 
the districts and villages at a distance from the 
capital. 



70 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

The habits of Hfe among the Malagasy being 
in many respects exceedingly simple, exempt 
them from much disease, and favour the dura- 
tion of life. And though the healing art is 
comparatively unknown, the period of human 
existence is not, on the average, shorter than 
among those nations in which the study and 
practice of medicine and surgery are pursued 
on the most enUghtened and scientific princi- 
ples. Very many reach the age of one hundred 
years 5 and there are many who are supposed 
to be of greater age. With the exception of 
some parts of the coast, the cUmate may be re- 
garded as conducive to health, longevity, and 
vigour. Many of the diseases of the Malagasy 
are common to other countries, some of them 
are peculiar to the island ; of these the most 
alarming and destructive is the Malagasy 
fever. 

The Malagasy fever, or rather fever and 
ague together, is called tazo. This is the most 
prevalent and destructive malady in the whole 
island, especially to the Hovas and Europeans. 
Ankova, Fort Dauphin, and some of the 
northern provinces, are the only parts of Ma- 
dagascar which are throughout the whole year 
exempt from its formidable ravages. Other 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 71 

parts aft-e exempt at certain seasons; and in 
some provinces it is so destructive, that certain 
districts are said to resemble, during the months 
of December, January, and February, the fa- 
bled valley of the deadly Upas, where the 
whole atmosphere was loaded with poison. 
To these districts in Madagascar condemned 
criminals are sent, and seldom survive for any 
length of time their arrival in these regions 
of death. 

All diseases are supposed to be inflicted by 
an evil spirit ; hence the astrologer or diviner 
is immediately consulted for the cure. The 
native medicines are chiefly vegetable, consist- 
ing of the roots, seeds, leaves, and stalks of the 
various trees and plants of their forests. 

No trait in the character of the Malagasy is 
more creditable to their humanity, and more 
gratifying to our benevolent feelings, than the 
kind, patient, and affectionate manner in which 
they attend upon the sick. 

In cases of serious illness, the utmost atten- 
tion is paid to the patient by the members and 
relations of his family, some of whom always 
remain to nurse and attend on him. In this 
respect their conduct presents a pleasing and 
striking contrast to that of the South Sea 



72 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

islanders, and other uncivilized communities. 
No one is carried down with cruel apathy to 
a river's brink, and left to perish there. The 
sikidy is repeatedly consulted, though this is 
attended with some expense ; and its directions 
are promptly obeyed. 

Every thing within the compass of their 
means, that can administer to the comfort, mi- 
tigate the suiferings, or favour the recovery of 
the sick, is provided. Wives frequently watch 
on the same couch on which their husbands 
are suffering under the fever, until the dreadful 
malady seizes them, when on account of their 
great exhaustion and fatigue, they frequently 
become its victims. 

The superstitions of the Malagasy unfold no 
bright futurity beyond the grave, but leave all 
in gloom and uncertainty. Hence the rela- 
tives, out of kind regard for the sufferer, care- 
fully abstain from the mention of death, until 
its speedy approach seems inevitable. 

Sometimes, besides the application of medi- 
cine, change of place, &c., the sikidy directs 
that difaditra be made ; that is, an offering for 
the removal of the evU which is supposed to 
have occasioned the disease. 

The faditra is frequently in itself of a very 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 73 

trifling nature, perhaps a little grass, or an 
herb, the name of which must be carefully- 
specified ; perhaps a small quantity of earth, 
taken from the ground at a spot measured by 
a given number of feet from the patient^s door ; 
or it may be merely the water with which he 
rinses his mouth ! These being simply thrown 
away, according to the direction of the sikidy, 
are supposed to bear away with them, in some 
inexplicable manner, the causes of the malady 
in question, or else to counteract the spell by 
which, from sorcery or some unknown cause, 
the malady has arisen. 

In addition to the faditra, the sikidy gene- 
rally directs some offering to be made of a sup- 
plicatory nature. This is called the sorona, 
and consists of a few beads, or ornaments, or 
herbs, and^ in some cases, the singing of a 
child. In these offerings prayer is presented, 
addressed to God,* to the Vazimba, and to the 
manes, or spirits, of their ancestors. And when 
the symptoms assume a decidedly unfavoura- 
ble aspect, and the post of observation is dark- 



* An account of the ideas attached to this term and service 
by the Malagasy, will be given in a subsequent part of the 
work. 

7 



74 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

ening every hour, and hopes of life are surren- 
dered, arrangements are usually made for the 
disposal of property : the heir is appointed, and 
the dying man, if a parent, commends his child- 
ren to surviving relatives, frequently under 
evident anxiety, from the gloom and uncer- 
tainty surrounding the unlmown future, upon 
which his reluctant and often agitated spirit is 
about to enter. Unlike the Christian, to whom 
death is the portal to immortality, the faint and 
feeble Malagasy meets death as an unwelcome 
doom, which he can neither avert nor delay. 

After it is ascertained that death has taken 
place, the relations and friends maintain the 
absolute control over their feelings, as the law 
requires, till evening,* when they give unre- 
stricted vent to their grief in weeping, accom- 
panied by the most frantic wailing and lamen- 
tations. Whether from custom or sympathy, 
or both, so many of the friends of the deceased 
attend on those occasions, that not only is the 
house filled, but many others sit around it out-^ 
side, expressing their sadness by tears and the 
most melancholy cries. All wear their hair 



* Should a person die at noon, or even in the morning, no 
one is allowed to mourn till after sunset. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 75 

dishevelled. The relatives also throw ashes 
upon their heads, and, though they do not lite- 
rally clothe themselves in sackcloth, wear only 
their most coarse and worthless garments, 
making their grief in appearance at least 
most piteous and affecting. Some of the na- 
tives actually tear their hair from their heads, 
and violently smite upon their breasts. They 
are also accustomed to address themselves in 
an impassioned manner to the deceased in 
terms resembling the following : " ! fetch 
me, my relative, my beloved relation ; let me 
accompany you in your path ; come for me, 
for now am I wretched indeed, and I have no 
one here to be what you were to me V^ 

As soon as the first paroxysms of grief have 
subsided, a number of friends present confer 
respecting the interment, the quantity of cloth 
in which the corpse is to be folded, and the 
number of cattle to be killed. If the deceased 
has left property of his own, it is taken for the 
purchase of the cloth, &c. required ; if not, they 
borrow, and immediately send a person to the 
market to obtain the articles. 

In general the quantity of cloth used, and 
the number of bullocks killed, and of muskets 
fired, all depend upon the amount of property 



76 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

the deceased has died worth. The house in 
which ttie corpse hes is now hned with cloth, 
and clean matting is spread on the floor. No 
kind of work is performed in it till after the in- 
terment, and the termination of the family 
mourning. 

An ox is usually killed in the evening after 
the death has taken place, and certain portions 
of it allotted to the slaughterer of the animal, 
to the slave who cuts it up, to the owner of the 
axe used on the occasion, to the owner of the 
cord by which the animal had been tied, and 
tjien to the assembled relatives of the de- 
ceased. 

Their places of burial are chiefly tombs, 
constructed at great expense of time, labour, 
and property ; and situated in some public, ele- 
vated place. In constructing the tomb, an exca- 
vation ten or twelve feet square and six or 
seven feet deep is dug in the ground and lined 
with slabs of stone, each side being often made 
of a single stone. These stones are covered 
with earth to the height of from fifteen to 
eighteen inches. This mound of earth is sur- 
rounded by a curb of stone-work, and a second 
and third parapet of earth is formed within the 
lower curb or coping, generally from twelve to 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 



77 



eighteen inches in height^ each diminishing in 
extent as they rise one above another, forming 
a flat pyramidal mound of earth, composed of 
successive terraces with stone-facing and bor- 
der, and resembHng,in appearance, the former 
heathen temples of the South Sea islanders, or 
the pyramidal structures of the aborigines of 
South America : the summit of the grave is 
ornamented with large pieces of rose or white 
quartz. 

The slabs used in forming the tombs are 
granite, split out in the quarry by heating the 




7- 



78 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

Stone with fires and then dashing cold water 
upon it ; and dragged to the tomb with bands 
of straw by hundreds of natives, shouting and 
singing as they advance. The horns of the 
bullocks killed at the interment are stuck in the 
earth or hung on high poles, fixed in the earth 
around the grave. 

A little flag of white cloth, with the name 
of the deceased wrought upon it in letters of 
blue, is fixed to the top of the tomb. 

The sentiments of the nation on this subject, 
the importance attached to profusion of expen- 
diture, and gorgeous and imposing pageantries 
in mourning, are most distinctly exhibited 
whenever the death of a sovereign takes place. 
In the number of oxen killed, and amount of 
property consumed, the funeral and mourning 
ceremonies observed at the death of Radama^s 
father probably exceeded all that had pre- 
viously taken place in the country, as it is sup- 
posed that about 10,000 head of cattle were 
slaughtered on that occasion. But the obser- 
vances on that occasion were greatly surpassed 
by those which followed the decease of the 
late monarch Radama, which took place at the 
capital in the month of August, 1828. 

On the morning of the 3d of August, it was 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 79 

officially proclaimed that the king ^^had re- 
tired/^ " had gone to his fathers ;" and it was 
ordered that all, of every rank and age, male 
and female, with a few exceptions, should 
shave the head ; that the females should weep ; 
that no showy dress nor ornament should be 
worn; that no perfume or unguent should be 
employed ; that no dress but the lamba should 
be worn, and that not allowed to trail on the 
ground. It was further ordered, that no one 
should ride on a horse, or be carried in a chair ; 
that the work at the ordinary handicrafts should 
be suspended ; that no one should salute an- 
other on meeting, nor play on any instrument, nor 
dance, nor sing; that no one should sleep on a 
bed,but on the ground; that no one shouid sit on 
a chair, or use a table ; that no one should use 
ardent spirits — and the punishment of decapi- 
tation was threatened to those who should vio- 
late this last prohibition. 

The walls of the palace, and of Besakana, a 
house called the throne of the kingdom, were 
covered Avith white cloth, and splendidly orna- 
mented within with tapestries of crimson and 
purple silk. The gatcAvays were hung with 
scarlet cloth and pink silk. The roof of 
the house in which the king had died was 



80 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

covered with crimson cloth; besides which, 
large quantities of rich gold lace and fringe 
were employed in the decorations. Troops 
were stationed round the courtyard. The of- 
ficers and band wore a white lamba over their 
uniforms, white being the mourning colour in 
Madagascar, and crape on the arm. Cannon 
and musketry were fired every half hour. 
Immense numbers of bullocks were distributed 
by the queen among the people. 

On the morning of the 11th, the firing of 
cannon and musketry commenced at daybreak, 
and continued every half hour through the 
day; and at eight o'clock the military assem- 
bled in the palace-yard, every avenue towards 
which was thronged with the tens of thousands 
assembled; but the greatest order prevailed. 
The space withm.was entirely occupied, ex- 
cepting a narrow passage left for the entry and 
exit of the officers. Troops in full uniform 
lined the passage from Trano-vola,* where the 



* Trano-vola, Besakana, and Maso-andro, are names given 
to the several houses constituting the palace. 

Trano-vola, or the silver house, was built and furnished by 
Radama in the European style and always occupied by him 
as his residence, when at the capital. It was called silver 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 81 

king had died, and where the corpse still re- 
mained, to Besakana, whither it was now to 
be conveyed in state. The place was filled 
with the tsirondahy, or king's body-guard ; the 
female singers kneeling to the ground ; and a 
number of females holding the fans usually 
carried to the' grave with a corpse. The 
youths in personal attendance on the king, and 
the principal officers conducting the ceremo- 
nies, were also present. 

About nine o'clock, the relatives of the king, 
the young princesses, and the wives of the 
judges, left the palace. They had been to take 
their last farewell of the remains of the de- 
parted monarch ; and retired, according to the 
custom of the country, carried on the backs of 
their servants, weeping bitterly the whole way, 
and unquestionably many of them with the 
utmost sincerity of feeling. The great drum 



house, from the circumstance that the ceiUngs, the door-posts, 
&c., were ornamented with silver nails. 

Besakana, or the throne of the kingdom, is the house where 
the deceased is laid in state, where his successor presents him- 
self immediately before his coronation, and where he bathes 
at the great annual festival, Fandroana. 

Maso-andro, is the house where the newly constituted sove- 
reign is placed immediately on acceding the throne. 



82 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

was then struck, and continued to beat in the 
manner usual at European miUtary funerals. 

By eleven o'clock the body was brought out, 
covered with a splendid scarlet pall, richly or- 
namented with gold lace. All the Europeans 
were present, and joined in the procession. 
The sight of the coffin, at the moment it was 
brought out of the palace, awakened afresh the 
lamentations of the people, and renewed their 
loud and frantic groans and wailing, as if they 
had a second time lost their sovereign. 

The whole of the passage along which the 
corpse was carried, was carpeted with blue 
cloth; a fine bull was also killed near the 
throne, just before the arrival of the body ; and 
over the expiring animal, weltering in its blood, 
the corpse was carried.* The queen, sur- 

* The origin of the custom of killing the bull on the occa- 
sion, is, like that of many others practised by the Malagasy, 
involved in impenetrable obscurity. It doea not appear to be 
a sacrificial service, as there is no prayer nor invocation ofFered, 
nor any priest to officiate; it is merely shedding blood. But 
the natives have an idea of something emblematical in it. The 
lion being unknown in the country, a bull is with them the re- 
cognised emblem of courage and strength, and hence becomes 
with the people an emblem of the monarch. One of the most 
noble is selected for the occasion, and over it, while just expir- 
ing, the corpse is lifted, 



HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 83 

rounded by a strong guard, stood at the door 
of Maso Andro, and appeared much affected, 
while the body was carried to the throne. Ra- 
ketaka, the infant daughter of Radama, sat, 
dressed in the European manner, with her 
nurse, at another door. 

The coffin, covered with the scarlet pall, was 
placed on a bier in the house, which was 
strongly perfumed with fragrant gums, and 
surrounded by a guard kept on duty through 
the night. 

On the following day, the 12th, the ceremo- 
nies were renewed. The missionaries and fo- 
reigners were admitted to the palace-yard, to 
unite with the natives in paying their last tri- 
bute of respect to the memory of the deceased ; 
and they joined the bearers in conveying the 
body to the tomb. The ground was covered 
with blue cloth for about two hundred feet of 
the distance ; and the whole passage on each 
side was lined with soldiers under arms. Se- 
venty-two of the finest bulls belonging to the 
late monarch were killed at the time, and the 
corpse was carried over them as already de- 
scribed. The singing females, prostrate on the 
ground, occupied almost every foot of the side 
of the passage along which the body was 



S4 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

borne, nor would they move, though nearly- 
trampled to death by the bearers and attend- 
ants. 

The yard in which Trano-vola stands was 
thronged with mourners, excepting a square in 
the centre, which was kept by the military. 
Within this square a magnificent catafalque 
had been prepared, surrounded by a balustrade 
covered with white cloth, and with pillars at 
each corner covered with scarlet cloth and gold 
embroidery. To the pillars were attached 
purple cords, on which were suspended the 
lamps and lustres used by Radama. The plat- 
form supporting the body was splendidly 
hung with rich scarlet cloth and gold and silver 
lace ; the whole presenting a gorgeous and im- 
posing spectacle. 

The members of the royal family placed 
themselves within the balustrade ; and a large 
number of females dressed in white, wearing 
long black sashes, and having fans in their 
hands, surrounded the canopy. 

A large silver coffin was prepared by the 
native silversmiths, in the manufacture of 
which about fourteen thousand dollars were ex- 
pended. It was eight feet in length, four and 
a half in width, and the same in height. The 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 85 

dollars had been melted, and beaten into plates, 
which were fastened with silver rivets. Its 
workmanship was rough, and its appearance 
clumsy; but the feeling which dictated so 
liberal an expenditure of wealth, as a tribute 
of respect to a prince who deserved it so well, 
was gratifying and highly honourable. An 
inscription was made on a silver plate, and 
fastened to the coffin, of which the following 
is a translation : — 

Tananarivo — 1 August, 1828. 

RADAMA MANJAKA,* 
Unequalled among the Princes. 

SOVEBEIGX 

Of the Island. 

The natives had been occupied for several 
days in preparing a large tomb, or mausoleum, 
consisting of red earth and roughly cut blocks 
of stone. The building is about thirty feet 
square and sixteen feet high. A small apart- 
ment has been subsequently built over it in 
European style, which is surrounded by a ve- 
randa. The interior of the upper room is ele- 
gantly ornamented 5 and a table, two chairs, a 
bottle of wine, a bottle of water, and two 

* Radama, King. 
8 



86 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

tumblers, are placed in the room, conformably 
with the ideas entertained by most of the na- 
tives, that the ghost of the departed monarch 
might occasionally visit the resting-place of his 
ashes, meet with the spirit of his father, and 
partake of what he was known to be fond of 
in his lifetime. 

About six o'clock in the evening of the 12th, 
the corpse was removed to its last resting-place 
in the silver coffin, which had been previously 
placed on a framework of wood in the tomb. 
A prodigious quantity of the most valuable 
personal property belonging to the late king, 
was buried with the body. Of these, one of 
the missionaries has furnished a catalogue, 
amounting to upwards of one thousand articles, 
including, among others, the following : — 

49 Hats and caps. 1 Gold spoon. 

155 Coats and jackets. 2 Silver plates. 

96 Waistcoats. 1 Silver salad dish. 

171 Pairs of Pantaloons. 1 Silver curry dish. 

Some of the above articles 1 Pair of silver candlesticks, 

were richly ornamented 4 Fine writing desks, 

with gold lace. 1 Glass chandelier. 

53 Pairs of gloves. 24 Looking-glasses. 

47 Neckcloths or cravats. 1 Pair of crystal decanters. 

6i Pairs of stockings. 4 Crystal dishes. 

37 Shirts. 1 Gold-headed spear. 

38 Pairs of boots and shoes. 2 Superior gold sword-sashes. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 87 

9 Pairg of gold epaulettes. 2 Pairs of pistols, richly orna- 

1 gold vase, present from mented with gold. 
George IV. in 1822. 10 Swords and sabres. 

2 Gold musical boxes. 1 Fowling-piece with all its 
18 Gold rings for the fingers. apparatus. 

3 Watches. 24 Muskets, ornamented with 
2 Gold watch-chains. gold and silver. 

1 Silver tureen and ladle. 1 Air-gun. 

2 Silver dishes. 24 Native spears. 

Six of the king's favourite horses were killed; 
a cask of wine was buried opposite to his 
tomb, and a brass cannon was burst and 
buried.* 

10,300 Spanish dollars were buried with the 
king, and 13,952 oxen distributed among the 
mourners assembled in the capital. 

The distribution of the oxen, and the burial 
of the articles of apparel, might be designed to 
testify respect for the memory of the departed 
sovereign; but it seems scarcely possible that 
the immense sumsof money were with the same 

* The cannon was loaded so heavily as to burst, on the 
same principle as that on which they killed the favourite horses 
of the king, either from an opinion, that having once belonged 
to the king, they could not with propriety be used by any 
other person ; or that the spirit, in visiting the place where the 
body was laid, might be satisfied on perceiving that the sur- 
vivors had not appropriated to themselves the treasures of their 
predecessor. 



88 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

view consigned to the grave. The govern- 
ment probably took advantage of the popular 
sentiments of the nation in favour of the invio- 
late sacredness of the tomb, thus to deposit so 
large a portion of its treasure in a place, in 
which it would be safe amidst any civil com- 
motion that might ensue, and to which, in any 
emergency, it might have the readiest access. 
The violation of the royal tomb was one of the 
highest crimes that could be committed, as 
was shown in the fate of an unhappy man who 
was convicted of it in Radama^s reign. 

Whether Radama's father had all his specie 
marked or not, is not known, but the dollars 
buried in the tomb with him had each a pecu- 
liar mark. On one occasion, during the early 
part of Radama's reign, a dollar was brought 
to the mother of Radama, then living in the 
palace. On looking at the dollar, she remarked, 
"I have seen this before V^ and then declared 
it to be one that had been buried with the 
corpse of her royal husband : investigation 
proved this to be the fact — that the tomb had 
been entered, and some of the dollars stolen ; 
and the man who was detected, was put to 
death by a slow process of the most cruel tor- 
ture that the native ingenuity could devise. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 89 

During the latter years of the mission in the 
island, several of the native Christians were 
removed by death, and were interred with the 
rites of Christian burial ; the missionaries at- 
tending, and engaging in services resembling 
those performed on similar occasions in Eng- 
land. 

The Malagasy have many different forms 
of salutation, which are regarded by them as 
essential to good behaviour. When they meet 
each other, instead of making observations on 
the state of the weather, they propose such 
questions as, "where are you from V^ "whither 
are you going ?'^ which are always answered 
in the most indefinite manner, as, "from the 
north,^^ or "going yonder.^^ 

Common swearing is universal, and in con- 
versation or trading an oath is uttered witli 
almost every sentence. They swear, not by 
God nor their idols, but by a relative or by the 
sovereign. 

There are four native instruments of music, 
the lokanga, the valiha, the drum, and the 
fife. The lokanga consists of a piece of wood 
attached to a hollow gourd, and having a 
single string stretched upon it. The vahha, is 
made by raising eight slips of bark between two 
8* 



90 



HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 




joints of a piece of bamboo. The strips are 
raised abo lit a quarter of an inch by bits of wood 
hke the bridges of a violin. The music is pro- 
duced by snapping these strings with the fingers. 
The drum and fife are of the same construction 
as those used in this country. The voices of 
the Malagasy, though powerful, are harsh and 
nasal. 

In the dress of the Malagasy there is great 
uniformity throughout the island. The mate- 
rials are chiefly cotton, hemp, and silk, which 
abound in the "country of the most valuable 
kinds. The arts of spinning and weaving have 
long been known to the people. 

The ordinary dress of the Malagasy is not 
only uniform, but simple. It consists gene- 
rally of two, and at most of three garments, 
which are chiefly of hemp or cotton, varied 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR, 91 

among the slaves and poorer classes, by a cloth 
inferior to either of these, and manufactured 
from the bark of the rofia, the banana, and 
some other trees; and among the rich, by the 
more soft and costly silk, or foreign cassimere 
and broadcloths. 

The two principal articles of dress worn by 
the Hova race are, first, the salaka, or piece 
of cloth about a yard in width, and two yards 
long. The salaka is worn in a manner similar 
to the r)iaro of the South Sea islanders, being 
fastened round the loins, passing under the 
body, and having' the extremities in front 
reaching to the knees. This article of dress is 
generally of white cotton, hemp, or rofia cloth, 
ornamented at the ends with borders of various 
colours. The salaka worn by the nobles, tRe 
chiefs, and the more wealthy of the natives, is 
of the purest silk. 

The kitamby of the females resembles the 
pareu of the South Sea islanders. It is of the 
same materials as the salaka, but considerably 
broader, and is worn round the person imme- 
diately below the breast, and reaches nearly to 
the feet. 

The most important and characteristic part 
of the native dress of the people, is the lamba 



92 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

or mantle, which varies in dimensions and 
quality with the rank and circumstances of the 
wearer. The lamba is worn by both sexes 
and all classes, both adults and children ; for 
adults it is usually three or four yards in length, 
and two or three in breadth. The royal 
lamba, which is held in highest estimation, is 
of fine scarlet English broadcloth, bordered 
and richly ornamented with gold lace, impart- 
ing to the figure arrayed in its rich and ample 
folds, a splendid and imposing appearance. 
The scarlet lamba is worn by the king on 
sacred festivals, and other state occasions. 
Scarlet is the royal colour in Madagascar ; and 
though the nobles and others are allowed to 
wear robes in which scarlet is intermingled 
with other colours, the use of the lamba or 
other dress of entire scarlet is the prerogative 
of the sovereign alone, to whom belongs also 
the distinction of using a scarlet umbrella. 

The lamba of the common people is made 
of cotton or silk, or the rofia cloth, and is either 
of pure white or coloured throughout of a ricli 
chestnut brown, or ornamented through its 
whole length with stripes of scarlet, crimson, 
and purple, with a border and fringe at each 
end. It is worn about the body, and over the 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 93 

shoulders, whence its folds hang loosely, reach- 
ing nearly to the ankles, the ends being drawn 
together in front of the wearer. It is the uni- 
versal robe of the living, and the shroud of the 
dead. Coverings for the head and feet are 
rarely used. - 

Few of the natives are entirely clothed in 
European apparel : those who have adopted 
it are usually seen arrayed partly in foreign, 
and partly in native costume. The present 
queen frequently appears in public with the 
large folds of the white native lamba spread 
over a rich silk, or other European dress. 

The Malagasy are fond of ornaments : those 
generally worn are of gold, silver, ivory, bones, 
beads, or shells. All classes are accustomed to 
wear necklaces, earrings, and rings on the 
fingers, with ornaments in the hair and on the 
forehead. Bracelets, chains, and charms of 
various descriptions, are used; but flowers, 
which have been so frequently adopted by 
other nations, as congenial to a simple and un- 
sophisticated taste for the beautiful in nature, 
they never wear by way of ornament. The 
Hovas adorn themselves with large silver rings 
on the fore-arm, round the wrists ; and some 



94 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

of the tribes wear, on public occasions, large 
silver chains round their waists. 

Besides the rings and chains of silver, large 
rings of cotton or hemp, covered with small 
beads, arranged after various patterns, are 
worn by both sexes on the arms above the el- 
bows, or as bracelets on the wrists. Anklets 
of the same kind are also common. Orna- 
ments of gold are few, and next to them those 
of silver are held in the highest estimation. 

Necklaces of beads are frequently used ; and 
suspended from these, on a silver chain, many 
wear a breastplate of silver. Sometimes the 
necklace is formed of dollars fastened together 
at their edges; at other times, a bandage of 
the same kind, fastened in a similar way, is 
worn round the head. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 95 



CHAPTER V. 

Government — The Sovereign ; his revenues — Laws — Crimes 
— Pmiishments — The professions — Cultivation of rice — Ma- 
nioc — Working of iron — Shoeing a horse — The anvil — 
Working in wood — Tools — Manufactures — Markets — A 
day's occupation. 

The government of Madagascar is neither 
despotic nor monarchical, but a mixture of 
both. For some years past, however, the in- 
creasing power of the miUtary officers, and the 
extent to which the troops have been employed 
by the sovereign, have rendered the govern- 
ment almost a pure military despotism. 

The sovereign nominates his successor, he 
being supposed both to have the right of such 
nomination, and to be best qualified, by his 
knowledge of his kingdom and his family, to 
judge of the exigencies of the former, and the 
capacities of the latter. He accordingly ap- 
points his immediate successor, and frequently 
extends his appointment to three or four gene- 
rations. 

The monarch is in the habit of assembling 



96 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

his people under the pretext of consulting them, 
and laying before them plans — from which, 
however, they never dissent — but the final re- 
sponsibility of the affairs of government rests 
with himself. He is the father of his kingdom, 
and its numerous and diversified officers are 
under his independent control. He is invested 
with the legislative and executive authority. 
All laws emanate from him. The army is 
raised, and its ofiicers are appointed by him. 
Peace and war are made by him. All import- 
ant civil cases are finally decided by him ; and 
death can be inflicted or remitted only by his 
decree. In some instancejs he goes out to war 
in person, and then takes as a right the com- 
mand of the army. 

The revenues of the king of Madagascar are 
small, when compared with the whole amount 
of property in the island. Among the sources 
of the revenue are, booty taken in war, a part 
of the fines imposed by the judges, and the 
confiscated property of criminals, a tenth of all 
the produce of the island, and the hasina. 
This last is a tribute paid to the king by all 
foreigners, and strangers from different parts 
of the island. It is also presented by all the 
people^ at the great kabarys, when the king 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 97 

returns from war or a distant excursion, and 
at the great festivals. The hasina of each in- 
dividual is always small, but the aggregate 
forms a large amount. 

There is no written code of laws in Mada- 
gascar. Great regard, however, is paid to 
their traditions, and the opinions and customs 
of their fathers ; and from these they are unwill- 
ing to deviate without the strongest reason. 

When a new law is necessary, it is, by the 
king^s command, proclaimed by his vadintany 
or couriers, and a copy of it is affixed to the 
palace gate. 

On the accession of the present sovereign to 
the throne in 1828, many new laws were en- 
acted, some of which are as follows : 

Any person taking away a canoe without permission of the 
owner, shall pay a fine of one bullock and one dollar. 

Any person guilty of stealing fuel, shall pay a fine of one 
bullock and one dollar. If a large quantity of fuel is stolen, 
the fine is three bullocks and three dollars. 

All the fines arising from law-suits shall be divided between 
the sovereign and the parties who gain the cause. 

Any person found guilty of stealing fowls shall receive forty 
stripes, and have his or her hair cut off*. 

The capital crimes in Madagascar are, mur- 
der, high treason, arson, robbing tombs, coun- 
terfeiting the coin, forgery in the king's name, 
9 



98 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

stealing from the king^s person, selling slaves 
out of the island, desertion from the army, and 
retreating in battle. Death is inflicted by 
bm'ning, spearing, hanging, sufibcation, cruci- 
fixion, decapitation, and throwing from a rock. 
The milder punishments are, whipping, hard 
labour, fines, imprisonment, and slavery, and, 
in some cases, maiming by cutting off the 
hands or feet. By a singular law, if any 
criminal, after he is condemned, (no matter 
what his crime may be,) can obtain sight of the 
sovereign, he is pardoned. 

Of the professions among the Malagasy, the 
highest is that of Judge, of whom there are 
always a number on duty at the capital, and in 
the other towns. They are appointed by the 
sovereign and hold their office during his plea- 
sure. The next is the Farantsa, who pre- 
serves order among the people, and collects the 
taxes : the lowest is the army, now discipHned 
like the army of the United States. The re- 
mainder of the people are divided into three 
classes, the agriculturists or shepherds, the 
manufacturers, and the traders. 

The cultivation of rice is the most important 
branch of agriculture, and many of the Mala- 
gasy are very attentive to their rice-grounds, 



i 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 99 

preserving them with great care, and keeping 
them remarkably clean. After the crop is re- 
moved, the ground is generally left untouched 
for three or four months, after which it is dug 
up with the native spade in large clods, twelve 
or eighteen inches square, which are piled up 
like bricks or peat, that they may be thoroughly 
dried, and all the weeds destroyed ; the period 
immediately following the rice harvest being 
the driest season of the year. After remaining 
some time in this state, the clods are spread 
over the field, and mixed with a suitable pro- 
portion of manure. Water is then let into the 
field, and soon softens the clods, which when 
moist are easily broken, and reduced to a very 
fine earth. The field is then made as level as 
possible by a thin sheet of water being con- 
ducted over its surface. It is now ready for 
the seed, which in sowing is literally cast upon 
the water. 

The bursting of the buds of the arnbiaty^ (a 
common shrub,) which generally takes place in 
the month of September, is regarded as the 
commencement of spring, the time when seed- 
rice is prepared for sowing. This is done by 
steeping the grain in water for one or two days, 
and afterwards keeping it in a warm place 



100 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

until it begins to sprout. In this state it is 
sown, after which the water is drained off, and 
instead of harrowing the ground, some very- 
fine manure, generally of wood or grass, is 
scattered over the newly-sown rice. The field 
is now allowed to remain a day or two with- 
out water, until the young shoot, causing the 
earth to crack, indicates the approach of the 
blade to the surface. The whole is then again 
covered to the depth of about two inches with 
water, which is shortly afterwards drained off. 
After this, the tender blade soon appears above 
ground. 

The seed is sown very thickly, and the 
growing rice requires great attention till it is 
about five or six inches above the ground, 
when it is considered fit to be transplanted to 
other fields ; this, however, is seldom done 
until after the rains have begun to fall in Oc- 
tober and November. The fields to be planted 
require to be carefully prepared, but this is 
often done in an inferior manner, and without 
manure. In preparing the low grounds for 
rice, the natives often employ cattle. Twenty 
or thirty oxen are driven into a field, and two 
or three men employed to drive them over the 
whole surface, to break and soften the moist- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 101 

ened sods. This is extremely laborious^ both 
for cattle and men, but it is found to be the 
most valuable and effectual method of prepar- 
ing the soil. When the fields are prepared for 
the young rice, each single plant is put in the 
ground at a distance of from six to nine inches 
apart, the ground being then in a state resem- 
bhng mud rather than earth. This part of the 
labour is generally done by women, and it is 
astonishing with what rapidity their work is 
performed. The plants are held in the left 
hand, and with the right are put into the 
ground at the rate of several in a minute. 
A bushel of rice, when the ground is prepared 
in the best manner, will yield one hundred 
bushels. The soil when properly dressed is 
exceedingly fertile ; and if the season be fa- 
vourable, and the crops escape the ravages of 
insects, and the destructive effects of blight or 
mildew, the ground is everywhere thickly co- 
vered with the prolific grain. 

One of the most agreeable objects in the 
neighbourhood of the capital, and in many parts 
of the Betsileo country, both as it gratifies the 
eye, and tends to fill the mind with dehght in 
contemplating the bounty of the Creator in thus 
providing support for a numerous people, is 
9* 



102 HISTORY OF MADAaASCAR. 

the rice-fields in the months of January and 
February. An immense plain, of many square 
miles in extent, unbroken except by here and 
there a tree or cottage, divided into several 
thousand fields, varying in size from half an 
acre to six or seven acres, all covered with 
luxuriant growing, or healthful yellow and 
ripening grain, the large bearded ears of which 
shine and rustle as they wave beneath the 
passing breeze, and bend from the weight of 
the grain sometimes halfway to the ground, 
while the cluster of stalks produced by a single 
seed is often so large, that the reaper cannot 
with one grasp gather it into his hand. 

Each field is divided from the rest by a small 
bank about six or nine inches wide, the top of 
which, being generally raised six inches above 
the field, forms a smooth footpath, affording 
great convenience to the labourer employed in 
the field. By the side of these paths, little rills 
are led over the entire plain, so that every field 
may be watered when necessary. These rills 
are supplied from canals, often several miles in 
length; which, in the neighbourhood of the 
capital, convey water to the remote parts of 
the plain, extending from the Ikiopa, a large 
and winding river, which flows around great 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 103 

part of the capital, adorning the landscape, and 
clothing the valleys with fruitfulness and ver- 
dure. The channel of the Ikiopa is defended 
on both sides by strong banks of earth, so that, 
though several feet higher than the fields, they 
are seldom injured by any irruption of its wa- 
ters. At times, however, such an accident oc- 
curs, and the occasion calls forth all the inha- 
bitants, who rush in a body to the place, carry- 
ing with them whatever they can find in their 
way, to assist in stemming the torrent, w^ill- 
ingly sacrificing at such times houses and 
garden walls, to confine the Avater within its 
accustomed channel, and prevent the inroads 
of the inundation, which would, in all proba- 
bility, destroy the greater part of the crpp. 

Every field is a perfect level, it being neces- 
sary at times to cover it with water several 
inches deep. There are some plains containing 
a square mile of rice-ground, the level of which 
probably does not vary two feet throughout its 
whole extent. In the more hilly parts of the 
country, small streams are intercepted as near 
as possible to the tops of the hills, on the sides 
of which the rice-grounds are formed in long 
narrow terraces, which are supplied with water 
from the stream alrcadv mentioned. These 



104 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

terraces vary in size and number, bemg fre- 
quently not more than three or four feet wide, 
and often rising one above another on the 
sides of the hill, to the amount of twenty or 
thirty in number. When covered with water 
preparatory to sowing or planting, they pre- 
sent a remarkably singular appearance, resem- 
bling an immense aqueous causeway, or flight 
of steps, from the level ground towards the 
tops of the hills. 

The cultivation of rice in the interior of the 
island is not unfrequently attended with consi- 
derable disappointment. The failure may 
arise from various causes, such as too much or 
too little water, from the depredations of the 
locusts, or more frequently a small insect, which 
eats into the stalk, and destroys it so completely 
as to leave whole fields to present a withered 
or blighted appearance. Sometimes also a 
shower of hail passing over a field of rice 
nearly ready to be cut down, destroys it en- 
tirely; and strong winds also occasion great 
loss, by shaking the ripe grain out of the ear. 
Should no calamity of the kind occur, and the 
season favour the gathering in of the ripened 
grain, the family are all on the alert, and active 
in securing the plenteous harvest, some work- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 105 

mg up to their middle almost in water. In 
cutting the rice, the reapers always use a large 
knife instead of a hook or sickle, and lay down 
the corn in handfuls on the stubble ; women 
and children follow after, and tie up the hand- 
fuls in small sheaves, which are set up to dry 
for two or three days before being carried 
away. 

The natives of Madagascar have never at- 
tempted to accustom the oxen, which are so 
numerous in the country, to ^ny kind of work, 
except that of trampling the soil to prepare it 
for planting ; they have neither wagon, cart, 
sledge, nor beast of burden ; the produce of the 
fields is therefore carried in large bundles on 
the heads of the slaves from the field, to what 
may be called the Malagasy threshing-floor. 
At unequal distances from each other, in every 
large tract of country laid out in rice-fields, a 
portion of ground of considerable extent is left 
solid, on which one or two houses or sheds are 
erected, and occasionally a tree or two planted. 
Here an open space, generally near a fragment 
of rock or large stone, is left, as a general 
threshing-floor, on which the rice is beaten 
from the stalk or straw, before it is carried home 
to the granary or storehouse of its owner. 



106 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 




The mode of threshing, if such it may be 
called, is singular. No flail or stick is used, 
but the floor, of hard clay, being cleaned, the 
rice is taken in large handfuls, and beaten 
against a stone or on the floor, till the grain is 
separated from the straw ; this is continued till 
the whole is finished, when it is winnowed to 
separate the grain from the beards and frag- 
ments of straw ; after which it is carried in 
baskets, holding about a bushel each, on the 
heads of the slaves, to their master's house, 
frequently two or three miles from the field. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 107 

The loads are heavy, and this part of the la- 
bour is often exceedingly severe. The straw 
is preserved for fuel or fodder for the cattle. 
• The secure storing of the rice is an object of 
great importance in Madagascar; and different 
means are employed by the several tribes, or 
races, for keeping it from mildew or damp, and 
preventing its being stolen by the indolent or 
destitute among themselves, or being destroyed 
by the rats which abound in the villages. 

The Hovas, and inhabitants of Betsileo, pre- 
serve it under ground, keeping it in circular 
pits five or six feet in diameter, and seven or 
eight feet deep. The form of these rice-pits 
greatly "resembles a bee-hive ; the sides are 
lined with stiff clay, from the floor, also of 
hard clay, to the summit, where a smallopen- 
ing is left, which is usually covered with a 
stone. Through this opening the grain is 
poured when brought from the field, and 
through the same the quantity required for 
daily use is obtained. These subterranean 
granaries are constructed with great care, and 
rice is often kept in them for a long time, ap- 
parently without being in the least degree 
injured. 

Some of the tribes construct their granaries 



108 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

above ground, and make them resemble in 
shape those already described. They are 
conical, or formed like a bee-hive ; and often 
rise fifteen or sixteen feet from the grounds 
The walls are thick, and are of clay, carefully 
wrought, and impervious. No opening is 
formed in the sides, and only one small hole is 
left at the top, which is closed with a slab or 
stone. By means of a ladder, (generally a pole 




with notches cut on its upper side,) the grain 
is carried up, and poured in. When the rice 
is wanted, a slave-boy is usually let down 
through the hole, and the necessary quantity 
is drawn up in baskets. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 109 

Some of the tribes preserve it in houses 
raised six or seven feet above the ground by- 
large wooden pillars, in one part of which 
there is usually a projection, very smoothly 
polished, to prevent the ascent of rats. 

The manioc, another important article of 
food, is usually cultivated in enclosed fields ; 
the fence consisting of a bank of earth about 
three feet high, and planted with the euphor- 
bia. When the ground has been well dug, 
pieces of the stems of manioc, about a foot in 
length, are thrust into the ground in a slanting 
position, leaving about a third portion of each 
stem above the soil, which is gently trodden 
down upon the plant with the foot. The slips 
are fixed about twelve inches from each other. 
When the plants begin to grow, which is gene-^ 
rally in about a fortnight, manure is scattered 
over the soil. After the field has been planted 
nine or ten months, the weeds are carefully 
removed, and a few months afterwards the 
manioc is ready for use. From fifteen to 
eighteen months may be required between the 
planting and the harvest, so as to allow two 
rainy seasons for the crop ; the first about the 
time of planting, and the other about the time 
of ingathering. The whole field is seldom 
10 



110 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

gathered at once, but is collected by the family 
as required for use or for sale. The roots are 
usually from eight to twelve inches in length, 
and three inches in diameter. They are pre- 
pared for use by scraping off the outer rind, 
washing them, and boiling them well. Oc- 
casionally, the roots are baked in hot embers. 
Manioc roots are also sold in the markets, cut 
into small pieces, and dried in the sun, in which 
state they are more easily preserved, and re- 
quire less cooking, than when first taken from 
the ground. The roots are sometimes eaten 
without cooking, ^s raw turnips are eaten in 
our own country, by persons passing through 
the fields ; and a custom similar to ours pre- 
vails in Madagascar, of permitting a person to 
gather and eat in such circumstances, as if by 
force of hunger ; but to gather and carry out 
of the field, would be considered theft, and be 
punished accordingly. The natives are ex- 
tremely fond of manioc ; and though they pre- 
fer rice, the former is extensively cultivated, 
especially as it grows well on the sides of hills, 
and on ground higher than is suitable for rice. 
Its appearance, when cooked, resembles that 
of parsneps. 

Next to the cultivation of the soil, the work- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. Ill 

ing of iron is the most important occupation 
of the Malagasy. The principal mines lie 
about fifty miles to the north-west of Tanana- 
rivo, and though they have been wrought for 
more than a century, can scarcely be said to be 
opened. When visited by the missionaries, the 
natives have been found either gathering the ore 
from the surface of the ground, or digging for it 
in the plain, or at the foot of a mountain, but 
seldom penetrating above five or six feet deep. 
Their method of smelting it is exceedingly cu- 
rious. Their foundries, if such they may be 
termed, are always situated near the bank of a 
river, or running stream of water ; sites of this 
kind are selected on account of the convenience 
of the water in washing and purifying as much 
as possible the ore before it is placed in the 
furnace. The ore is washed, and then broken 
into small pieces not larger than nuts; it is 
then repeatedly washed in the river, for the 
purpose of separating, as much as possible, the 
earthy particles from the iron, which, after 
repeated washings, is gathered up in large 
coarsely-wrought baskets, and kept till sub- 
mitted to the action of fire. The furnace and 
its appendages are exceedingly rude and sim- 
ple in their construction 5 and the ore, at best, 



112 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

is but imperfectly smelted. In building the 
furnace, a hole about six feet in diameter, and 
one or two feet deep, is sometimes dug in the 
ground; at other times the earth is only level- 
led. The walls of the furnace are of rude 
stone-work, built up to the height of three or four 
feet, without mortar, and thickly plastered on 
the outside with clay. No aperture is left in 
any part of the wall for the purpose of draw- 
ing off the metal The blast for the furnace is 
obtained by a singular and ingenious contriv- 
ance, very much resembling that in use in 
some parts of south-eastern Asia. Two rude 
cylinders, about five feet long, the aperture of 
each from four to six inches in diameter, are 
formed out of the trunks of trees of hard wood; 
these are made air-tight at one end, and are 
planted in the earth, about a foot apart, in an 
.upright or slightly-inclined position, within 
about eighteen inches or two feet of the fur- 
nace ; a hole is made in each cylinder, a few 
inches above the ground, into which one end 
of a bamboo cane is inserted, the other enter- 
ing a hole made in the stone or clay wall of 
the furnace ; a rude sort of piston is fitted to 
each of the cylinders, and the apparatus for 
raising the wind is complete. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 113 

No coal has yet been found in Madagascar, 
and charcoal is the only fuel employed in 
smelting the ore. On this account^ the furnaces 
are generally built in those parts, of what may 
be termed the iron districts, that are nearest to 
the forests where the charcoal is made. In the 
provinces remote from the capital, charcoal is 
burnt, and iron is worked by the chiefs and 
their people, or by native labourers for their 
own advantage ; but in Imerina and in Antsi- 
anaka all the iron obtained is for the service 
of t?ie government ; hence five or six hundred 
men are constantly employed by the order 
of government, in burning charcoal for the 
foundries in the province, and the smitheries 
at the capital. The only return these men re- 
ceive, in the shape of compensation for their 
labour, is exemption from certain taxes levied 
on other members of the community. The 
charcoal burners, as well as the miners and 
founders, are, however, a sort of government 
slaves; they live in the forests, or near the 
places where the ore is found, and they dare 
not leave their occupations on pain of death. 
The charcoal, as well as the ore, is brought in 
large baskets, in which it is kept near the fur- 
naces. 

10^ 



114 HISTORY OF MABAGA3CAR. 

In smelting the iron, they first kindle a fire 
in the bottom of the lurnace ; over the fire 
they spread a quantity of charcoal, and then 
throw in the ore, either mixed with charcoal, or 
spread in alternate layers, till it reaches the top 
of the walls. Over this a sort of covering of 
clay, in a conical shape, with an aperture in 
the centre, is occasionally spread. In procur- 
ing the blast, the pistons are sometimes worked 
by a man sitting on the inner edges of the two 
cylinders, holding the shaft of one of the pis- 
tons in each hand, and alternately raising and 
lowering them by the action of his arms. 
Sometimes the man working the cylinders 
stands on a low bank of earth raised behind 
them. 

There are, in general, two cylinders to each 
furnace ; but when one only is used, it is of 
much larger dimensions than those already de- 
scribed, and the piston is worked with both 
hands. The contents of the furnace are 
brought to a white heat, and kept in this state 
for a long time ; after which, the fire is allowed 
to go out. The covering is taken off 5 and the 
iron, which is described as being partially 
melted, and forming one solid, or a number of 
smaller masses, at the bottom of the furnace, 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 115 

is removed, beaten with a hammer, and then 
again submitted to the fire, prior to its being 
conveyed to the capital for the use of the na- 
tive smiths. 

Rude as the processes of mining. and smelt- 
ing are at present in Madagascar, yet, from the 
number of men employed, the nature and va- 
riety of their occupation, the value of the mi- 
neral which they are rendering available for 
many of the purposes of civilized life, and the 
activity with which the natives pursue their 
respective departments of labour, few scenes 
in the country are in many respects more inte- 
resting to a foreigner than those exhibited on 
a visit to the mines in the province of Ankova. 

In the working of iron, the natives seem to 
have made greater advances than in smelting 
the ore ; the art, however, may still be regarded 
as but in its infancy among them. In some 
parts of the island the smiths reside in different 
villages, and mingle promiscuously with the 
other portions of the community ; but near the 
capital, where many hundreds are the servants 
of government, they sometimes congregate to- 
gether, and form the majority of the inhabit- 
ants of a village. When this is the case, they 
sometimes erect one or more sheds, in con- 



116 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

venient spots adjacent to their dwellings, and 
pursue their work together ; but in general, 
the forge of the natiA^e smith is fixed in his 
house, usually at the south end of the building. 
The whole apparatus is exceedingly simple. 
The fire, which is kindled on the floor, is sur- 
rounded by three or four stones, through one 
of which a hole is perforated, to admit the end 
of the bamboos, fixed in the cylinders, that an- 
swer the purpose of bellow^s. These are 
smaller, but in other respects resemble those 
used in smelting the ore. The pistons are 
worked by an assistant or a slave. The anvil, 
which is about the size of a sledge-hammer, is 
either fixed in the ground near the fire, or 
fastened to a thick and heavy board. The 
water-trough is placed near, and the smith, 
when at work, sits or squats on a piece of 
board on the ground ; his assistants sometimes 
sit, but more frequently stand, on the opposite 
side of the anvil, ready to strike with larger 
hammers, according to his directions. 

Until the arrival of the artisans who accom- 
panied the missionaries to the capital in 1822, 
the articles in iron manufactured by the peo- 
ple were exceedingly few, and the workman- 
ship clumsy and unfinished; they consisted 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 117 

chiefly of spears and javelins, knives, hatchets, 
and spades, chisels and hammers, a rude sort 
of plane-irons, and files, pots, spoons, and 
lamps. Shortly before the arrival of the mis- 
sionaries, they had begun to make nails ; but 
of the methods of making hinges, screws, and 
nails, excepting those of a simple round form, 
they were ignorant. In connexion with this 
subject, Mr. Jones, one of the first missionaries 
in the island, mentions an occurrence, which 
places in a striking point of view the advan- 
tage which a missionary may derive from even 
a slight acquaintance with some of the most 
common and useful arts of his native land. 

Speaking of their nails, Mr. Jones remarks, 
" They made nails, but they were round, and 
not square. I was the first, I think, who taught 
them to make a square nail. Towards the end 
of 1820, a favourite horse, sent to Radama by 
Sir R. T. Farquhar, in the charge of Mr. 
Hastie, in the previous year, lost one of his 
shoes, and there was no person in the capital 
who knew how to shoe a horse. Seeing the 
anxiety of the king, I said to him, if you will 
trust me, I will nail on the old shoe. The king 
was exceedingly pleased, and wished me to do 
it. I made a model of a horse-shoe nail, and 



118 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

the native smiths made some nails exactly Hke 
the model. The horse was brought into one 
of the royal houses ; and the king, his ojficers, 
smiths, &c. assembled to witness the novel 
transaction. While I was driving the nails 
into the animal's hoof, the king frequently 
cried out, ^.Take care, take care, don't hurt the 
horse — don't hurt the horse !' I continued 
driving the nails, clinched them, rasped the 
foot, &c., and the horse was led out unhurt, to 
the great astonishment and delight of all pre- 
sent, who appeared, from this trifling circu in- 
stance, to attach increased importance to our 
residence among them. I should not have at- 
tempted it, had I not often nailed on old shoes 
when I used to take my father's horses to the 
blacksmith's shop in Wales. After this, the 
Malagasy smiths made this sort of nails, as 
well as horse-shoes, and shod the king's 
horses, though they did it but clumsily until 
the arrival of the smith sent out from Eng- 
land. 

'' Formerly they had no locks ; but Europe- 
ans, since the commencement of the mission, 
have taught the natives to make several kinds 
of locks. A very clever smith once borrowed 
a patent padlock from me, which he opened, 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 119 

and having examined it thoroughly, made one 
exactly like it.'^ 

Mr. Chick, an excellent artisan sent out by 
the London Missionary Society in 1821, was 
the first European smith who settled in the in- 
terior of Madagascar ; and to him the natives 
of Ankova, especially, are indebted for their 
improvement in the art of working in iron. 
He reached the capital in 1822, and fixed his 
residence at Amparibe, where he erected his 
shop, and fitted it up in the European style as 
far as circumstances would admit. Mr. Chick 
was himself a powerful man ; and the tools, 
the bellows, the anvil, and the large sledge- 
hammer which he used, filled the natives with 
the greatest astonishment. The report of his 
great strength soon reached the palace ; and 
shortly after he began his work, the king, with 
a number of his officers, paid him a visit. Mr. 
Chick's boys were at work at an anvil of a 
middling size. A spare one, of considerable 
weight, was standing on the floor in another 
part of the shop ; and the king, after looking 
about with admiration for some time, told his 
officers to lift the anvil that was standing on 
the floor : each in his turn put forth his utmost 
strength, but could not raise it from the ground. 



120 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

^^What!'^ said the king, "are you all con- 
quered ? Let me try/^ His majesty then laid 
hold of it with all his might, and tried to raise 
it from the ground, but with no better success 
than his officers. Aoka izay, (said the king,) 
avelao mba atao ny vazaha ankehitriny — 
"Enough; let the white man try now.^^ Mr. 
Chick then lifted the anvil to a considerable 
height from the ground, to the great surprise 
of all present ; and it is singular to notice the 
first impression which this evidence of the su- 
perior strength of the Englishman produced on 
the minds of the king and his suite ; they all 
concurred in declaring that it would be dan- 
gerous to fight with such men. 

A number of youths were placed, by order 
of the sovereign, under the charge of Mr. Chick, 
as apprentices, and were carefully instructed 
by him in the several branches of his art. 
When the king commenced building the 
palace, Mr. Chick furnished the iron-work for 
it; while thus occupied, he had about two 
hundred and fifty native smiths employed un- 
der him, and from that time may be dated the 
improvements made in smithing by the natives. 
Mr^Chick^s work at the palace entirely ceased 
when Radama died. He was employed by 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 121 

the present government to furnish the iron- 
work for the mills erected by Mr. Cameron at 
Alakaly, and had under him about two hun- 
dred persons, who had every opportunity of 
improving themselves, and learning the more 
difficult branches of the business. 

Many of the native smiths are now able to 
make hinges, screws, and a variety of the most 
valuable articles of iron used in civilized life. 
They have also attained considerable pro- 
ficiency in wire-drawing. In making brass or 
iron wire, they beat the rods till they are nearly 
reduced to the size required, when they are 
heated, and drawn through holes in a plate of 
iron or steel till brought to the proper size. 
The wire is drawn through the holes by a 
rude sort of winch, turned by one or two per- 
sons. 

It is a subject of deep regret, that in recent 
years their skill in the manufacture of cutlery 
and hardware has been employed in the fabri- 
cation of implements of war, more dangerous 
and fatal than the assagai and spear which for- 
merly constituted their chief weapons. Great 
numbers of swords and bayonets have been 
made by the native smiths, in obedience to the 
orders of the government ; and a short time 
11 



122 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

before the missionaries and the artisans left the 
island, the queen entered into arrangements 
with some natives of France to establish a 
manufactory of muskets in the vicinity of the 
capital. 

The native goldsmiths and silversmiths ex- 
hibit considerable ingenuity in the manufac- 
ture of rings, chains, and various ornaments 
of the precious metals, which are obtained 
from foreign traders. Silver dishes, mugs, and 
other drinking vessels, and spoons, for the use 
of the sovereign and others, are wrought by 
them in a manner highly creditable to their 
skill and perseverance. Bowls, dishes, and 
plates of tin and lead, in imitation of those 
taken from Europe, are manufactured to a 
small extent among them. The wire for their 
chains, both gold and silver, which are exceed 
ingly fine, is made by first melting the metal, 
beating it into long thin rods, and drawing it 
through holes in a plate of iron, by a process 
similar to that employed in drawing wire of 
brass or iron. 

Many of the Malagasy are occupied in the 
felling of timber and working in wood. To 
cut the timber in the forest for the use of the 
government, and to convey it a distance of forty 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 123 

miles to the capital, is a service belonging to 
the woodmen of the government, who from 
their number are called the " seven hundred." 
For this work, however, as well as for working 
in iron, masonry, building roads, bearing bur- 
dens from the coast to the capital, 8z.c., the whole 
population are liable to be employed by the 
government, without remuneration and for any 
length of tirne. Formerly, like the natives of the 
South Sea islands, and some other parts, the Ma- 
lagasy never thought of obtaining more than 
two planks or boards from a single tree, how- 
ever large that tree might be. Now they have 
been taught to use the saw, and to obtain as 
many boards, as the size of the tree will admit. 
When the first missionaries arrived among 
them, their tools consisted of a hatchet, chi- 
sels of different sizes, a rude sort of plane, 
a wooden hammer or mallet, a drill or borer, 
worked by twisting it between the palms 
of the hands, and a rule, or graduated mea- 
suring-rod, six or eight feet long. Since that 
time, tools, used by workmen in Europe, have 
been introduced, and have been readily adopt- 
ed by the native carpenters. Their work was 
often strong, and usually neat, and in appear- 
ance well finished. 



124 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAB. 

Besides building their houses, the carpenters 
manufacture the handles of their farming tools, 
the large winnowing fans, and the bowls and 
rice dishes. The missionaries have taught 
them to use the lathe. 

Earthenware is used in every house, and 
potteries are found all over the island. The 
articles are moulded by the hand, baked in 
kilns, and glazed with the native plumbago. 

The females make the twine and rope from 
the long marsh grass and hemp ; mats and 
baskets of the rushes growing on the coast ; 
and spin and weave nearly all the cloth that is 
used in the island. 

The natives also understand not only the art 
of dyeing, but also of preparing from their 
vegetables indigo and many other dyes. 

The missionaries have also taught them the 
art of tanning leather. 

The occupation in which the people espe- 
cially delight, is traffic carried on by hawking 
different things about for sale. Some go down 
to the coast, and obtain articles of British 
manufacture from the merchants. Others pur- 
chase articles manufactured by their own coun- 
trymen, in the hope of realizing some profit by 
selling them. Perhaps no class of men gain 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 125 

less than these hawkers, certainly none endure 
greater hardships ; yet none are so devoted to 
their employnient, and so unwilling to ex- 
change it for another. The native songs often 
describe the mpivavotra^ hawkers, sitting pa- 
tiently all day at the market, or travelling from 
house to house until the sun sets upon their 
path, yet unwilling to cook a meal of rice until 
their hearts have been encouraged by obtain- 
ing some profit on their goods. 

To a corresponding feeling, in all proba- 
bility, is to be ascribed the excessive fondness 
of the Malagasy for the public markets ; these 
are the most favourite places of resort for all 
classes. There is not only a market containing 
a general assortment of goods, held daily at 
the capital, but three or four large markets are 
also held at different distances from Tanana- 
rivo and from each other, every day in the 
week in rotation, in difierent parts of the pro- 
vince. They are always attended by a vast 
concourse of people from the adjoining dis- 
tricts, like the great annual fairs held in Eng- 
land. 

To these markets all the productions of the 
country, animal and vegetable, and the various 
native manufactures and foreign importations, 
11* 



126 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

are brought for sale. Here also slaves are 
publicly bought and sold like cattle, and public 
kabarys, or messages from the sovereign, are 
announced. 

The situations selected for these markets are 
usually ample fields of level ground, at no 
great distance from some principal town, and 
each is called by the day of the week on which 
the market is held there. Hence the famiUar 
expression, "You can buy your timber at 
Thursday" — that is, at the market held on 
Thursday. 

No shops, booths, stalls, or sheds are used 
in the markets. Every article is spread upon 
the ground, usually on mats. No regular order 
of squares or rows is observed, and the pur- 
chasers must be content to thread their way in 
all perplexing directions through this labyrinth 
of commodities and sellers. 

The only order is, that persons who have 
similar articles for sale, usually sit near one 
another. Some of them have one or two of 
the articles they sell, fastened to the top of a 
long pole, Avhich is fixed in the ground near 
the place on which their goods are spread out. 
This is used as a kind of sign on the part of 
the dealers, and serves to guide those who are 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 127 

in search of the articles thus exhibited. Cattle 
are collected in large numbers for sale at the 
extremities of the markets, and the butchers 
usually take their place near them. Then in 
the body of the market will be found the 
dealers in spears, spade-handles, and cutlery ; 
next in order, the sellers of cloth, of lambas, 
of cotton and silk for spinning and weaving ; ad- 
joining these, perhaps, the sellers of sugar, to- 
bacco, and snufF, then of honey, salt, and soap, 
earthen-ware, wooden bowls, and silver chains, 
beads, necklaces, silks, and ornaments; then 
rice, charms, medicines, fruit, poultry; and 
then money-changers, and the sellers of scales 
and weights. There are sold also pieces of 
meat ready cooked, boiled manioc, and 
draughts of fresh water. 

The natives make use of a hollowed block 
of wood, which they call a vata^ for measuring 
out their rice ; and they measure their cloth by 
stretching out their two hands to the extent of 
a fathom, or two yards, which measure they 
call refy. But they have also a rod equal to 
refy^ which is divided into quarters, and even 
into measurements as small as a finger's 
breadth. 

Oxen are sold in the markets, but horses by 



128 HISTORY or MADAGASCAR. 

private agreement. Goats are not allowed by 
the idols, any more than pigs, to enter Imerina, 
but they are numerous in the southern Betsileo, 
where they are sold and eaten. Radama had 
some goats brought to his country seat, called 
Mahazoarivo ; but after his death they were 
driven back to their former territory by order 
of the queen. 

Animals are exhibited for sale, but, except 
on the day of the annual festival, they are 
seldom seen so fat as in our own markets. 
On the day of their mandro, i. e. new year's 
day, bullocks that have been fattened for 
twelve months or more, are sometimes seen 
of so prodigious a weight as scarcely to be able 
to support themselves. 

In making purchases, the Malagasy are 
adepts in the art of bargaining or disputing. 
To "middy varotra^'^ ot^ in other words, to 
dispute the price, seems to be as essentially 
connected with a purchase, as opening the eyes 
is with seeing. Every one asks for more than 
he intends to accept, or ever hopes to obtain. 
All are aware of this, and therefore all contend 
for an abatement. The seller and the pur- 
chaser then generally concede something, until 
they gradually approximate, and at last agree. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 129 

An immense Jength of time is frequently spent 
in a wordy contest for the value of one penny. 
Bargains are usually concluded by the parties 
buying and selling exchanging the salutation, 
Soavatsara^ " may it be good and well.'' 

The Malagasy have no circulating medium 
of their own. Dollars are known more or less 
throughout the island ; but in many of the pro- 
vinces trade is carried on principally by an ex- 
change of commodities. The Spanish dollar, 
stamped with the two pillars, bears the highest 
value. For sums below a dollar, the inconve- 
nient method is resorted to in the interior, of 
weighing the money in every case. Dollars are 
cut up into small pieces, and four iron weights 
are used for the half, quarter, eighth, and twelfth 
of a dollar. Below that amount, divisions are 
effected by combinations of the four weights, 
and also by means of grains of rice, even down 
so low as one single grain — "vary iray 
verity ^^^ one plump grain — valued at the seven 
hundred and twentieth part of a dollar. 

A description of the occupations of a day in 
Madagascar may serve to illustrate still more 
minutely the general habits and manners of 
the people. 

The Malagasy rise early 5 and in order to 



130 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

do this, it is customary to have a cock roosting 
in the south-east corner of the house, that he 
may give warning of the first approach of the 
morning. He first crows about three o'clock, 
which is much too early to begin the occupa- 
tions of the day in a country where there is 
but little twilight, and where the sun does not 
rise before six. He repeats his call, however, 
about five, when, if any doubt should exist as 
to the actual dawn of day, the master of the 
house or one of his slaves opens the door, and, 
after glancing towards the eastern horizon, ex- 
claims, "It is morning.'^ The necessity for 
doing this, arises from the circumstance of the 
house having no glass windows, and being 
therefore entirely dark, except where a ray of 
light is admitted by an accidental crevice. The 
door has no other fastening than a piece of 
stick, about four inches in length, stuck in like 
a wedge at the bottom, or let into a small 
groove made for that purpose. 

As soon as the family has risen, the master, 
and other members of the household, squat 
themselves down beside the fireplace, or out- 
side the building, and stretching out their 
naked arms, call to a slave to bring them wa- 
ter. A slave then advances, carrying in his 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 131 

left hand an empty pitcher, and in his right a 
zingia, or bullock^s horn, with a stick fixed 
into it for a handle. This is filled with water, 
which he pours upon the hands of his master, 
who rubs them together, and dashes some of 
the water into his face, while the slave holds 
the pitcher or wooden bowl beneath. In the 
same manner the rest of the family are at- 
tended upon, the zingia being replenished by 
dipping it into the siny-be, or large water-jar. 
The slaves then assist each other to wash in 
the same way, none using the napkin to wipe 
off the water, but some rubbing it off with the 
lamba^ and others leaving it to dry in the sun. 
After this operation, the master dismisses his 
servants, or accompanies them to their respect- 
ive occupations. 

At home the mistress ordinarily employs 
herself in arranging her room, and weaving. 
There are ordinarily a greater number of ser- 
vants than can be constantly employed where 
the wants of the people are so few. One of 
these, perhaps, will remove the pigs or other 
animals from the corner of the house, by driving 
them out; another will release the calf from 
the post to which it is tied within the house ; 
while another milks the cow. These, and 



132 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

Other simple employments, with long intervals 
of squatting on the ground, occupy the slaves 
until the time of preparing for the first meal. 
This is not ordinarily taken until eleven or 
twelve o'clock, and the hour is computed by 
the length of the shadows on the ground. 

Out-door labourers in Madagascar continue 
at work from the morning till sunset, when, 
about six or seven in the evening, thousands 
may be seen returning from the rice-grounds, 
markets, and distant fields, bearing their spades 
on their shoulders, and bundles on their backs, 
sometimes cheered as they pass along by a na- 
tive bard, who, seated on the ground, will 
chant his short but lively songs, descriptive of 
the pleasure of returning home after the toil of 
the day is over. On reaching their dwelling, 
another meal is spread, exactly resembUng that 
of the morning ; and while this is preparing, as 
well as after it is dismissed, the family amuse 
themselves with cheerful conversation. The 
day often closes with dancing and singing ; 
after which they spread upon the ground their 
simple bedding, which consists of one or two 
mats, on which they repose until chanticleer 
awakes them in the morning. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR, 133 



CHAPTER Vr. 

Religious opinions of the Malagasy — Their Idols — description 
of one — Eadama and the idol — Trial by ordeal — The 
Tangena. 

The natives of Madagascar have been fre- 
quently represented as destitute of any na- 
tional system of religion, as having no idols, 
nor religious ceremonies to which they are de- 
votedly attached, and therefore to be regarded 
as a people favourably prepared for the recep- 
tion of Christianity. The truth will be found to 
differ widely from this flattering but too hastily 
formed opinion. 

The Malagasy, possessing the feelings and 
passions which are common to human nature, 
and being subject to the same hopes and fears, 
joys and sorrows, as other members of the 
human family, without the light and guidance 
of revelation, have endeavoured, like others 
in the same condition, to find resources which 
might satisfy the cravings of the mind, and 
allay the feverishness of a bewildered imagi- 
nation; which might arm them with fortitude 
12 



134 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

amidst the apprehensions of mysterious and 
undefined evils, and inspire them with hope in 
the prospect of some unknown and equally 
undefined futurity. 

In the phenomena, the order, and the forma- 
tion of the universe around them, they saw 
the operation of some invisible power; yet, 
strangers to the sublime idea of an overruling 
Providence, and equally strangers to any ra- 
tional explanation of these phenomena, they 
attributed every thing to the influence of ody 
or charms which their imaginations invented, 
and which they supposed to possess power 
equal to the production of all the varied effects 
seen or felt. 

Intimately connected with this is their belief 
in a vintana or destiny, whose will is ascer- 
tained by the diviner's art, a stern, unbending, 
fixed, immutable destiny ; and after all they 
have pleaded for their charms, or siMdy^ or 
god, all is summed up in the conclusion, " such 
was destiny or fate." 

In examining the religious faith and practice 
of the Malagasy, the first question is, " do they 
believe in, or have they any knowledge of the 
one true God, the Maker and Preserver of all 
things ?'' A hasty observation would perhaps 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 135 

lead us to answer, " they do, for they speak 
of God, they pray to God, they appeal to God, 
and they bless in the name of God ;^' but if we 
endeavour to ascertain what ideas they attach 
to the term God, we are forced to the conclu- 
sion that they have no knowledge of " Him 
who created the heavens and the earth, and 
who clothes himself with honour and ma- 
jesty/' 

The terms in the native language for God 
are Jindriamanitra and Zanahary. If a 
Malagasy be asked the meaning of these 
words, he cannot tell. They are applied to 
whatever is new, useful, or extraordinary. The 
idols are called gods, and the king is god : silk, 
money, thunder and lightning are gods. Their 
ancestors, a deceased sovereign, and a book 
from its power of speaking by looking at it, all 
receive the same comprehensive name. If we 
ask. To whom do you pray and offer sacri- 
fice? Who sends and withholds the rain? 
Who created and who preserves all these 
things ? the answer is Andriamanitra, god ; 
but to any question beyond this the honest re- 
ply often is. We do not know, we do not think 
about these things. 

Still more vague and indefinite are the ideas 



136 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

they entertain about the soul and its future 
existence. They have no knowledge of the 
doctrine of the soul as a separate, immaterial, 
immortal principle in man, nor has their lan- 
guage any word to express such an idea. 

If it be asked what becomes of the saina 
or mind, when the body dies? the Malagasy 
replies, it is a part of the body. But does it 
return to dust with the body in the grave ? 
No, the body returns to dust, and the saina 
becomes levona, ^^vanished,'' invisible. And 
the aina or life, becomes rivotra, air, or wind, 
lost and absorbed in the mass of air floating 
around. 

Such is the creed of the Malagasy, yet 
vague, absurd, and unsatisfactory as it is, they 
cling to it with an unyielding tenacity. 

The reckoning of time by weeks, the cere- 
mony of circumcision, various purifications, and 
the offering of sacrifices, are almost the only 
circumstances found among the Malagasy cor- 
responding with those of the Mosaic institutes. 
No traditional knowledge appears to exist 
amongst them of any of the great events un- 
folded to the world by the inspired records, 
such as the creation, the fall of man, the de- 
luge, the selection of one favoured people, the 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 137 

performance of miracles, or the promise of a 
Deliverer for the human race. It may be al- 
most superfluous to add, that no ideas, how- 
ever confused or remote, are found to exist re- 
lating to the doctrine of a Mediator, the advent 
of the Redeemer, the salvation of m^an, the re- 
newal of the heart, the resurrection of the dead, 
the judgment to come, or the glory to be re- 
vealed. 

The idols are numerous, and to them are 
ascribed all the attributes of Omnipotence. 
To appease their wrath or to secure their fa- 
vour they are praised, prayed to, sacrificed to; 
and in public processions, each idol, fixed upon 
a pole, and wrapped in a piece of red velvet, is 
borne by its keeper, before the people, to re- 
ceive their homage. Of the shape of these 
idols little is known ; they are supposed to be 
imitations of animals. No stranger is allowed 
to approach the house where they are kept, 
and when carried forth in procession the na- 
tives are forbidden to gaze upon them. In 
1831, an idol keeper who was converted to 
Christianity, gave up one of his idols to the 
missionaries ; that it might be sent to England, 
to show the English, as he said, what were 
the gods of the Malagasy. This idol had been 
12* 



138 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 



regarded as one of the most powerful in the 
island. It was composed of a number of small 
pieces of wood, ornaments of ivory, of silver, 
and brass, and beads, fastened together with 
silver wire, and decorated with a number of 
silver rings. The central piece of wood is cir- 
cular, about seven inches high, and three- 




' HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 139 

quarters of an inch in diameter. This centrcil 
piece is surrounded by six short pieces of 
wood, and six hollow silver ornaments, called 
crocodile's teeth, from their resemblance to the 
' teeth of that animal. Three pieces of wood 
are placed on one side of the central piece of 
wood, and three on the side opposite ; the in- 
tervening space being filled up by the three 
silver and brazen ornaments. These orna- 
ments are hollow, and those of brass were oc- 
casionally anointed with what was regarded 
as sacred oil, or other unguents, which were 
much used in the consecration of charms and 
other emblems of native superstition. The 
silver ornaments were detached from the idol, 
filled with small pieces of consecrated wood, 
and worn upon the persons of the keepers 
when going to war, or passing through a fever 
district, as a means of preservation. Besides 
the pieces of wood in the crocodile's tooth, 
small pieces of a dark, close-grained wood cut 
nearly square, or oblong, and about half an 
inch long, were strung like beads on a cord, 
or worn on the person of those who carried 
the silver ornaments. 

The intelligent monarch Radama was fully 
convinced of the absurditv and falsehood of 



140 HISTORY OF MADAaASCAR. 

the pretensions of the idol-keepers ; and though 
he was too shrewd an observer of human na- 
ture violently to assail the superstitious preju- 
dices that existed in their favour, he often 
made them appear exceedingly ridiculous in 
the eyes of the people, whenever they at- 
tempted any of their jugglery in his presence. 
On one occasion, the keeper of the great na- 
tional idol suddenly rushed into the court-yard, 
where the king and many of his chiefs and 
officers were assembled. He carried a pole, 
with something wrapped in red velvet, the ordi- 
nary symbol of the idol, at the end of it. On 
entering the palace-yard, he ran about like one 
frantic ; and on being asked by the king why 
he did so, he said that the idol made him act 
in a manner which he himself could not avoid. 
^^It is surprising,'' said the king, ^^that the god 
should affect you so powerfully ; let me try if 
it will be the same with me.'' Upon which 
the king took the pole, and walked gravely 
round the court without the shghtest appear- 
ance of any extraordinary emotion. He then 
turned round to one of the chiefs, and said, 
" Perhaps I am too heavy for the god to move; 
do you try, you are light enough." Accord- 
ingly, the chief took the pole in his hands, and 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 141 

walked about, but without experiencing any 
ecstasy; and then returned it to the poor 
keeper, who slunk off, not a little mortified at 
the result of the king's experiment. On some 
of the chiefs who were present, the effect was 
alike salutary and durable. 

The custom of trial by ordeal prevails ex- 
tensively in Madagascar ; it was probably in- 
troduced by the original settlers of the island. 
Various modes have been in use in different 
parts of the country, and possibly may still be 
at some distance from the capital ; such as 
passing a red-hot iron over the tongue, or 
plunging the naked arm into" a large earthen 
or iron pot full of boiling water, and picking 
out a pebble thrown in for the special purpose 
of the trial ; and in either case, to sustain no 
injury would be a demonstration of innocence. 
The mode which is now most common is that 
which is called the Tangena, The tangena 
is a nut about the size of a horse-chestnut ; it 
grows abundantly in the island. It appears 
to be a most powerful poison, but if taken in 
small doses only, sometimes operates only as 
an emetic. In this way it is used in the or- 
deal. 

When an individual is to be tried by this 



142 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

ordeal, the ofRcersof the Tangena^the accusers, 
and the suspected person meet at the appointed 
place ; a lamb is then killed, and over it is pro- 
nounced a curse on those who accuse falsely. 
The witnesses are then called to testify against 
the man ; if but one witness is found against 
him, he is acqaitted ; if more, he is condemned 
to drink the tangena. He is first compelled to 
eat a quantity of rice, and afterwards to swal- 
low whole, three pieces of the skin of a 
chicken ; the " cursers'^ then scrape a portion 
of the tangena into a little banana water; and 
after causing the man to drink it, they pro- 
nounce over him a long form, imploring the 
poison to kill him if guilty ; and spare him if 
innocent. If he throws from the stomach the 
three pieces of skin he is declared innocent, 
and if he survives the effects of the poison, re- 
ceives from the government a present of mo- 
ney as a requital for having been unjustly ac- 
cused : if the three pieces of skin do not ap- 
pear, he is instantly killed with a club ; his 
property confiscated, and divided between the 
government and the oflS.cers. 

Those who administer the poison have it in 
their power to save or to destroy the life of 
any one : they can at pleasure increase or di- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 143 

minish the dose ; and they select the nut, 
which in some stages of its growth acts only 
as a gentle emetic, while in others it kills 
without exception. 

It is supposed that about one-tenth of the 
population take the tangena in the course of 
their lives ; and of these one-fifth on the ave- 
rage die : thus a fiftieth part of the population is 
swept ofi" every generation by this formidable 
instrument of destruction ; upwards of three 
thousand a year, and most of them persons in 
the very prime of life. 



144 HI5T0RT OF MADAGASCAR. 



CHAPTER VII. 

The elave trade in Madagascar — Origin — Manner of obtaining 
the slaves — Opinion of the people about Europeans — Suf- 
ferings of the people — Le Sage's visit — His journey — His 
reception — The treaty — His return — Mr. Brady — Previous 
intercourse — Two princes sent to Mauritius — Their return 
—Mi. Hastie — His journey — Reception, &c. — Presents to 
the King ; Horses ; Clock — ^Negotiations for the abolition 
of the slave trade — The treaty — Fulfilled by Radama — 
Broken by the British — First missionaries sent — Messrs. 
Be van and Jones — Visit the island — Open school — Feelings 
of the natives — Sufferings from the fever — Renewal of the 
treaty. 

The slave trade is so painfally conspicuous 
in the history of Madagascar, that before pro- 
ceeding farther in the narration of the events 
which have occurred in that country during 
the last twenty years, it seems necessary to 
furnish some account of the manner in which 
that inhuman traffic had been so long and so 
disastrously operating upon the minds and 
habits of the people. 

There is every reason to beheve that do- 
mestic slavery has existed in Madagascar from 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 145 

time immemorial ; but the practice of export- 
ing men as slaves, is said to have commenced 
scarcely more than a century ago, with the 
pirates who had established themselves in the 
Isle of Saint Mary's. 

These pirates, who had infested th^se seas 
ever since they were discovered, had esta- 
blished several settlements on the coast of Ma- 
dagascar, where they deposited their booty, 
and in time of peace traded with the natives in 
the rich goods of the merchant vessel, and in 
time of war furnished them with ammunition 
and arms. In 1721 the nations of Europe, 
alarmed at the losses they were sustaining, 
united together, pursued the pirates to their 
haunts, and there burned their vessels. Forced 
to leave their life of robbery and murder by 
sea, they plunged into a different kind of vil- 
lany, and one which has left upon their me- 
mory a deeper stain. They formed and car- 
ried into execution the plan of exciting wars, 
between some of the provinces in which they 
had traded on the eastern coast, and inducing 
the conquerors to exchange their prisoners for 
arms and ammunition. Deceived by the arti- 
fices of the pirates, whom they never suspected 
of treachery, and whom they had long courted 
13 



146 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

as friends, without knowing their real charac- 
ter and pursuits, the Malagasy became the 
victims of the most atrocious perfidy, and that 
too, under the impression, that as the whites 
were a superior race of men, they could not 
materially err in following their advice. By 
wars of retaliation, the natives became scourges 
of one another, plunging each other into inex- 
tricable misery, wasting each other's resources, 
depopulating each other's territory, and afibrd- 
ing satisfaction to none but men who were un- 
worthy of the name, and whose rapacious 
avarice could be equalled only by their cruel 
contempt of human rights and human misery. 
No data exist, by which to ascertain, with 
certainty, the exact number of human beings 
expatriated from Madagascar during the past 
hundred years, and plunged into abject slavery. 
An average, formed on a moderate computa- 
tion, amounts to not less than three or four 
thousand per annum ; and this may be consi- 
dered as rather below than above the actual 
number. The aggregate presents a frightful 
amount, to be mentioned only in association 
with the most atrocious deeds ; but it exhibits 
only a fractional part of the outrage, violence, 
cruelty, and misery, produced by this most 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 147 

horrible system of immorality and avarice, 
robbery and murder. 

The trade having commenced on the coast, 
and the pleasm'e of its gains gradually expel- 
ling all sense of the injustice of the traffic, it 
soon extended to the interior of the island, 
withering all before it, and desolating, like a 
pestilence, wherever its baneful influence 
spread — as it always has done, and will con- 
tinue to do, until it ceases from the earth. 

With the increased demand for slaves, the 
supply was consequently increased. Various 
modes were then employed to obtain slaves 
for sale, and all these were characterized by 
deceit and treachery, violence and cruelty. 
Every man's hand was against his brother ; 
and he who could seize or ensnare the greatest 
number of his fellow-beings, esteemed himself 
the most fortunate man. 

The most efl'ectual mode of obtaining the 
unhappy victims of this system in large num- 
bers, was by war. As on the continent of 
Africa, so on this great African island, the 
chiefs were in the habit of making attacks on 
one another, Avhenever the occasion of a quar- 
rel could be found, and then securing in the 
contest as many prisoners as possible, whom 



148 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

they afterwards disposed of to the slave-traf- 
fickers. Hence, the principal aim in these 
intestine wars was, not so much the slaughter 
and extirpation of the opposite party, as the 
seizure of the living ; and often the struggle 
would be to capture a chief or noble, in which 
case a large sum of money would be paid by 
the relations and friends, or a number of slaves 
would be given for his ransom. 

For these reasons, the conflicts were less 
sanguinary than they have been since the in- 
troduction of fire-arms and the suppression of 
the slave-trade, though the actual amount of 
crime, cruelty, and suffering may not have 
been less. It was not unfrequently that whole 
villages were swept ofi*, and their inhabitants 
separated, and sold into different and remote 
provinces, never to be associated again. Ves- 
tiges of such villages remain to the pre^sent 
day, exhibiting a waste where cultivation had 
formerly smiled, with fragments of deserted 
and dilapidated walls, where once the cultiva- 
tors of the adjacent fields had found their 
home ; a home to them, perhaps, as sweet as 
the mansions of the rich in other lands, whose 
luxury and wealth had, perhaps, been aug- 
mented by the extirpation of these very people 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 149 

from the land of their birth — and their consign- 
ment to hopeless captivity and an early grave. 

In addition to these wars, an extensive sys- 
tem of kidnapping prevailed, by which child- 
ren, domestic slaves, and others, were entrap- 
ped in the fields and neighbourhood of villages, 
by the gift of some money, a piece of cloth, or 
other tempting bait; and being once lured 
within the power of the deceiver, he securely 
guarded his prey until it was conveyed to 
some place of rendezvous, and then sold into 
the hands of traders. It is an affecting circum- 
stance, but well worthy of attention, that, to 
the present day, the people of Madagascar are 
extremely jealous of Europeans who give mo- 
ney, under any circumstances, to the natives, 
even for the purest charity. 

It is well known, that many slaves were 
also obtained for sale, by means of a cruelly 
treacherous pretence of hospitality. Persons 
passingnear a house would be invited to enter, 
agreeably to the customs of the country, and, 
on accepting the invitation, would find that 
they had sealed their own ruin. At the mo- 
ment of entering the house, they would fall 
into a large pit or rice-hole prepared for that 
purpose near the door, but carefully concealed 
13- 



150 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

from observation by means of a mat or other 
covering placed over its mouth, and this mat 
strewed with earth or other materials to re- 
semble the rest of the floor, and so prevent any 
suspicious appearances. Thus taken in the 
pit which the wicked had digged, they were 
handcuffed, and sold into slavery. 

It is related, that on one occasion, a party 
of Europeans, landing from a slave ship, 
pitched their tent upon the shore, and, inviting 
a number of the unsuspecting natives to par- 
take of their hospitality beneath its shelter, the 
Avhole floor of the tent fell in, and about thirty 
individuals were secured by being plunged 
into a pit previously prepared for the purpose. 

In many cases persons were obtained for 
sale under shadow of law. A man who had 
borrowed money, and was unable to refund it 
when payment became due, was reduced to 
slavery, and made the property ^of his creditor. 
Instances of this kind were by no means of 
rare occurrence. There was no want of per- 
sons willing to lend. Money was always at 
hand, and would frequently be ofiered to those 
who appeared good subjects for ,s«/e, with the 
full hope and intention of immediately secur- 
ing payment by the seizure and sale of the 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 151 

borrower. For the low sum of half a dollar 
as the original loan, with an addition of an 
exorbitant interest of one hundred or one hun- 
dred and fifty per cent., many have been de- 
prived forever of their freedom. The princi- 
ple of the law remains in operation to the 
present time, the only difference being that the 
slavery is domestic instead of foreign. Who- 
ever is found unable to pay his debt, and the 
heavy interest it soon accumulates, (that being 
even now from thirty to one hundred per 
cent.) must be sold for the benefit of his credi- 
tors, and his bondsman, if he have one, must 
share the same fate, if this is necessary to 
make up the deficiency. 

The slave market was also supplied by 
means of daring and powerful gangs of rob- 
bers who infested the country. These con- 
cealed themselves usually amongst rocks and 
caves, and from these retreats made occasional 
sallies on small villages^ or on individuals pass- 
ing by, and, having seized their unfortunate 
prey, they guarded them safely until means 
were found for disposing of them advanta- 
geously to the traders or their agents. These 
gangs frequently assumed a most formidable 
character, overawing the neighbouring popu- 



152 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

lation, and requiring all the power of the chief- 
tains for their suppression. 

While such was the state of the country, it 
will not excite surprise that persons were usu- 
ally afraid of travelling alone^or sending mes- 
sages by their servants, unless two or three 
went in company, or that by night none dared 
to venture out of their houses, lest in an unex- 
pected moment they should be seized, carried 
off, and sold : and it is needless to add, that 
the existence of the slave trade was the reign 
of terror in Madagascar. 

Thus, by means of wars, kidnapping, debts, 
and robberies, the traders were constantly fur- 
nished, and large supplies were usually kept on 
hand at the capital, to which place the traders 
came up from the coast at different seasons 
of the year, carrying with them an extensive 
assortment of goods to exchange for slaves, and 
of money to effect purchases. Natives were 
often employed to attend the regular markets 
"where slaves were publicly sold, and to obtain 
them there at the market price ; and as such 
agents received a premium on the purchase 
for themselves, their cupidity increased their 
diligence, and the immense profits they reaped 
attached them to the traffic. Hence it is ob- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 153 

vious that many different parties felt an inte- 
rest in the continuance of the trade, and, as 
will appear in the progress of this history, 
made the most strenuous efforts to oppose any 
treaty for its abolition. They least of all could 
sympathize in the delight manifested at the 
capital, when that result, so grateful to every 
lover of humanity, was secured and pub- 
lished. 

For a long time the natives entertained the 
belief of European cannibalism. Such an 
opinion is not unfrequent in Madagascar at 
the present time, and was found to constitute 
a difficulty in the early establishment of mission 
schools. 

Within the last eighteen years, parents have 
actually concealed their children in rice-holes, 
where some were suffocated, under the appal- 
ling and monstrous supposition that these 
schools were intended only to be treacherous 
means of entrapping their children, to satisfy 
the demon appetite of the whites for the flesh 
of their offspring ! " The Europeans,'' said 
the parents, " always came here before, to 
steal us and our children. What could they 
want with such a booty, but to eat them? 
And now they come under a pretence of teach- 



154 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

ing our children ; and, having once got them 
into their power, they will carry them away 
as in former days, when they must share the 
same dreadful fate which others have met in 
past days.'^ The missionaries lately resident 
on the island have had to encounter the very 
same objection — an objection which, however 
false and preposterous, it is not easy to refute 
to the satisfaction of a native, in whose fears, 
suspicions, and profound ignorance of foreign 
manners, it has originated. If, however, it 
strongly marks the folly and ignorance of tiie 
Malagasy, it stamps a well-merited censure on 
those who, by their practices as slave traders, 
first awakened the revolting supposition. 
They have destroyed the peace, the happiness, 
the freedom, the lives of thousands, and well 
may they bear the stigma which the Malagasy 
reproach conveys, of "European cannibals.^' 
, When the traders had obtained a sufficient 
number of slaves at the capital, or any part of 
the interior, by purchase or exchange of goods, 
they were conveyed in parties varying from 
fifty to two thousand, down to the sea-coast 
for exportation. On commencing the journey? 
their wrists were usually fastened by means 
of an iron band. They were then corded one 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 155 

slave to another, and through the whole dis- 
tance compelled to carry provisions on their 
heads. Thus driven hke cattle to the sea-side, 
they no sooner arrived there, than they were 
stowed away in ships, and conveyed to their 
final and fatal scene of misery and toil, unless 
their sufferings terminated in death during the 
passage. The slaves from Madagascar sup- 
plied the Isles of France and Bourbon, others 
were conveyed to North and South America, 
and some even to the West Indies. 

An affecting memorial of the many scenes 
of sorrow and separation which must have 
taken place under this cruel system, is de- 
scribed by one of the missionaries as still ex- 
isting in Madagascar. There is a hill on the 
way from Imerina to Tamatave, which has 
obtained the melancholy appellation of '' the 
iceeping-place of the Hovahs,^^ because from 
that eminence they first beheld the sea, when 
prosecuting their miserable journey to be sold 
in the slave-markets on the coast ; and here it 
is more than probable they would give vent 
to all the anguish of their hearts under the 
twofold influence of exile and slavery. 

No sooner did Madagascar come within the 
immediate influence of Great Britain, than a 



156 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

series of efforts was commenced, with a view 
to the ultimate annihilation of the trade in the 
island. 

In 1816, Sir Robert Farquhar induced Ra- 
dama to send over to Mauritius two of his 
younger brothers, for the purpose of receiving 
a European education. At the close of the 
same year. Captain Le Sage, with several 
other gentlemen and thirty soldiers, were sent 
to the capital, for the purpose of forming a 
treaty with Radama, making observations on 
the country, and exhibiting to the king the 
discipline qf the European soldiers. The best 
time and the best mode of travelling in the 
country was not then generally known, and 
Le Sage was so unfortiaiate as to fix upon the 
most unfavourable- time for his expedition. 
The rivers were swollen by the rains, pro- 
visions were scarce, and the apathy and indif- 
ference of the natives rendered it extremely 
difficult to engage their services. There were 
no roads, for although Radama had even then 
made some advances towards civilization, yet 
such was the jealousy with which he guarded 
his capital, that he allowed no roads to be 
made by which it might be rendered easily 
accessible. More than all, the country was 



HISTORY OF MADAaASCAR. 157 

wasted by the pestilence. As Le Sage ap- 
proached the capital he was saluted many 
times by letters and messengers from the king, 
inquiring how he sped on his journey, and 
bearing him presents of poultry and other pro- 
visions. By the last messengers he inquired 
if Le Sage could wait until he assembled all 
his people to receive him in state, or whether 
he should receive him simply with his own 
soldiers, which last proposal was much pre- 
ferred by Le Sage, on account of the exhausted 
state of himself and his party. The people 
now began to bring to the travellers provisions 
ready cooked, with quantities of rice; the 
orders of Radama having been, that the chiefs 
of the territory through which they' passed, 
should furnish the party gratuitously, and on 
their own demand, with whatever rice, milk, 
or other provisions they might desire, and 
these orders were to be obeyed as if they pro- 
ceeded immediately from the king himself. 

On approaching the capital, the party were 
agreeably surprised by a fresh assurance of 
welcome, ^conveyed in a manner by no means 
indicative of a barbarous state of society. A 
company of persons, about eighty in number, 
suddenly appeared running towards them, di- 
14 



158 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

vided into parties of twenty, and bearing on 
their heads rice, fruits, and different viands for 
the refreshment of the travellers, which all 
partook of on the spot, while the hospitable 
strangers danced and sang around them. 
They proved to be some of the most distin- 
guished families forming the court of Radama. 
Their dress was very elegant, the women 
being adorned with silver chains, necklaces, 
and anklets, and their garments, consisting of 
a dark purple cotton lamba, wound round the 
body, and hanging in graceful folds so as to 
exhibit the knotted fringe in the most pleasing 
manner. The men wore on their heads a 
silver ornament somewhat resembling a coro- 
net, and round the waist a belt, with a potTch 
for containing their amulets. They also had 
silver ornaments like the women, and were 
armed with muskets, many of which, instead 
of brass mountings, had silver ones, and stocks 
studded with silver-headed nails. 

As Le Sage and his party, arranged in the 
best order their diminished numbers enabled 
them to form, were proceeding to the capital, 
the following day they were met by ten or 
twelve men, bearing upon their shoulders a 
kind of chair for the use of the agent, and sent 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR.- 159 

by Radama with repeated regrets that the fire 
in his palace had prevented his sending what 
would have been more suitable for his accom- 
modation. Followed by the royal guards, Le 
Sage proceeded for the rest of the way in this 
elevated manner, which seemed to afford great 
delight to the crowds of people who pressed 
forward from all parts in the hope of seeing 
him. When near the bottom of the last hill, 
before ascending that upon which the capital 
is situated, they requested that he would halt 
a few minutes until a cannon should be ready 
to be fired, the one previously prepared having 
burst, and another having had to be sent for. 
In about a quarter of an hour this cannon was 
fired, and immediately an immense number 
of soldiers came forward dancing, each with a 
musket and spear, and some with shields made 
of bullock's hide. Those who appeared to be 
the most skilful dancers placed themselves in 
a great variety of attitudes. Those who had 
firelocks did the same ; and in the course of 
the dance fired them off, always on the 
ground. 

While the dance was going on, a general 
firing took place from the town and all parts 
of tlie mountains, and the travellers were soon 



160 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

surrounded with seven or eight thousand men, 
armed with muskets, which they fired in token 
of pleasure at the arrival of the strangers. Be- 
tween twenty and thirty thousand persons ap- 
peared on the borders of the town and the sur- 
rounding hills, and the immediate multitude 
were not less than seventy thousand more. 

The party belonging to Le Sage then pro- 
ceeded up the mountain a little way, the in- 
creasing pressure of the crowd putting an end 
to all order; and there being but a narrow 
pathway, the whole body marched over and 
trod down the fields of vegetables on the brow 
of the mountain. Le Sage was then requested 
to halt again ; which he was extremely un- 
willing to do, on account of the sick, by whom 
he was accompanied, suffering so greatly from 
the heat of the sun, and the crowd pressing 
them almost to suffocation. He was obliged, 
however, to consent ; and, in a few minutes, 
twenty women came down the hill, each laden 
with a kind of woven box, in which were all 
kinds of meat, rice, plantains, and milk, which 
they presented for the refreshment of the travel- 
lers. After this, one of Radama's ministers 
commanded silence,whichwas obtained almost 
immediately, though surrounded by so many I 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 161 

thousands. He then addressed the people, 
saying, that Radama had given their country 
to his visitor ; and on asking them if they con- 
sented, they answered, Yes. The minister 
then, with the same poUteness, addressed Le 
Sage, telling him he was their king, and com- 
manded their country and all that was in it. 

The way into the town being of very la- 
borious ascent, as well as very narrow, ren- 
dered it, amongst such crowds of people, ex- 
tremely difficult. Every time they halted, Le 
Sage's people fired a volley of musketry, and 
the people on the surrounding hills still con- 
tinued their firing. The whole of the way to 
the palace was Uned with armed men ; and 
every place was thronged with people to a de- 
gree almost incredible, all groaning a dull kind 
of groan as the party advanced, which custom 
is with them a great mark of approbation. 

On entering the palace, Radama was seen 
seated on a kind of throne, surrounded by 
about twenty of his ministers and soldiers ; the 
spacious room being lined with muskets and 
wall pieces, all of English manufacture. Hav- 
ing shaken hands with the party, who were 
all seated on mats on the floor, Le Sage placed 
himself upon a kind of stool covered with 
14^ 



162 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

white linen, when Radama addressed his mi- 
nisters and people to the same effect as his 
minister had done before, asking them if they 
consented that Le Sage should be their king ; 
to which they all answered in the affirmative. 
He then told his guest that Madagascar was 
his.* After some complimentary conversa- 
tion, Le Sage then presented his credentials, 
which were read by one of the princes, when 
the king again assured his guest pf the great 
pleasure his arrival afforded him. 

Le Sage here observes of Radama, that his 
manners and conduct were totally different 
from those of any prince or chief he had seen 
in Madagascar. His address was extremely 
agreeable and prepossessing ; and he was, even 
then, what might justly be termed a polite 
man. 

On every occasion, the British agent was 
treated by Radama with that peculiar polite- 
ness which conveys the strongest assurance o^ 

* It was afterwards found that through the ignorance of the 
interpreter the language of the king was incorrectly translated : 
and that by the expressions which were used he did not mean 
to resign his throne to the ambassador, but only to accept the 
offered friendship, and to put himself under the protection of ' 
the English. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 163 

friendly feeling. A house was built for his 
especial accommodation ; and, while his health 
continued, he was amused with such pastimes 
as the court afforded. 

Soon after their arrival at the capital, a num- 
ber of the party, in consequence of their ex- 
posure on the coast and during the journey to 
the interior, were seized with the fever ; seven 
died, and Le Sage was saved only by the un- 
ceasing attentions and medical skill of the na- 
tives. At length the treaty was concluded ; 
the gifts which had been sent from the Go- 
vernor of Mauritius were presented to the 
king, and after frequent attacks of the fever, 
Le Sage with his diminished party returned to 
Mauritius. No plan for the abolition of 
slavery had been matured with Radama ; and 
indeed the treaty was but a verbal promise of 
peace, free intercourse, and mutual protection, 
between the nations. 

Mr. Brady, a British soldier, was, by Ra- 
dama's particular request, left at the capital for 
the purpose of teaching his soldiers the Euro- 
pean discipline. 

Previous, however, to this visit of Le Sage, 
the intercourse between Madagascar and the 
English had begun, and so nearly simultaneous 



164 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

were the movements on the part of both na- 
tions, that it is hard to say which first extended 
the hand of friendship. Through the agency 
of M. Chardeneaux, a Frenchman who had 
long resided at the capital, and who stood high 
in the estimation of the king, Governor Farquhar 
induced Radama to send two of his brothers 
to Mauritius for instruction. In a letter to a 
member of the British cabinet, dated Septem- 
ber 12, 1816, Governor Farquhar writes 
thus: — 

" Of the brothers of Radama, now arrived here, one is the 
presumptive heir of his authority ; they are accompanied by 
two of the chief ministers of their prince, a son of one of the 
nobles of the nation of the Betanimenes, three ministers of the 
king of Tamatave, two chieftains of the South and a numer- 
ous suite." 

******* 

" These friendly bonds will no doubt be strengthened, and 
the prospect of growing civilization opened, by the opportunity 
now given to the young princes to learn the arts and customs 
of European life, and the principles of our religion. 

" The King Radama himself is eager for instruction ; writes 
his language in the Arabic character, and is learning to write 
French in Roman letters. His brothers who have arrived here, 
appear very intelligent for their age, which is about nine or ten 
years, and capable of acquiring every requisite principle of 
morals and religion. 

" The former governors of these islands have, at every period 



HISTORY OF MADAaASCAR. 165 

of their history, in vain endeavoured to obtain that friendly 
footing, which is now sought and offered to us by the native 
princes ; * * * and it appears to me, that 

the means are at present in our hands of cutting off in a great 
measure, at its source, the slave trade in these seas ; and I shall 
not neglect so favourable an opportunity of availing myself of 
them to the fullest extent." 

The embassy of Le Sage was the next step 
in this benevolent plan. 

The brothers of Radama, sent to Mauritius 
for instruction, were, immediately on their ar- 
rival, placed under the care of Mr. Hastie, 
with whom they returned to Madagascar, in 
July, 1817. Radama with three thousand of 
his people came down to the coast to meet 
them. Mr. Hastie, having in charge the horses, 
and many other valuable presents, sent by the 
British government to the king, immediately 
commenced his journey to the capital. 

In the midst of crowds similar to those 
which attended the arrival of Le Sage, and 
surrounded by the same demonstrations of wel- 
come and delight, Mr. Hastie at length reached 
the capital, on the 6th of August, 1817. The 
court-yard of the palace was lined with sol- 
diers ; and the king, seated on a stage about 
sixty yards from the door, called Mr. Hastie 



166 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR.- 

to go to him, and, laughing loud, shook him 
very warmly by the hand. 

Anxious to render the residence of Mr. 
Hastie at the capital as comfortable as possi- 
ble, Radama sent a number of his officers to 
assist him in preparing the house appropriated 
to his use, and supplied him with mats and 
other materials for fitting it up in the European 
manner, inspecting the work in person all the 
time, and asking, as a favour, that he might 
always have access to it when finished. He 
was much pleased with the readily-granted 
permission to enter it whenever he chose. In- 
deed, he scarcely allowed himself time for his 
usual meals, so anxious was he to return to 
the society of his guest. The horses (now first 
introduced into the island) also, claimed much 
of his attention, and he never failed to regret 
the loss of that which had been intended for 
his especial use, and which had died on the 
journey from the coast to the capital. 

Among the presents sent to Radama by the 
Governor of Mauritius, one of those which af- 
forded him the most pleasure was a clock. It 
was at first a little deranged, and he could not 
conceal his chagrin on hearing it strike while 
the minute-hand was at the half-hour. While 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 167 

he was absent from the house, Mr. Hastie for- 
tunately discovered the cause of the clock's 
going wrong, and rectified it ; and when the 
king returned his joy was unbounded. The 
clock was placed upon a block, at the distance 
of four feet from a fire large enough to roast a 
bullock. The monarch sat on the ground be- 
side it for a whole hour, and, forgetful of his 
regal dignity, danced when it struck. 

Radama, who possessed an excellent me- 
mory, and seldom lost sight of any fact that 
had been communicated to him, was quite 
capable of appreciating the value of a pocket 
compass, and was much pleased with a map 
of the world, upon which he amused himself 
with tracing out the situation of Madagascar. 

When it was determined that Mr, Hastie 
should visit the interior of the island, he was 
empowered to make a treaty of peace and to 
secure the abolition of the slave trade; and on 
reaching the capital he gave himself imme- 
diately and entirely to the accomplishment of 
this object. With regard to the abolition of 
the slave trade the king himself appeared, at 
an early period of the negotiations, to be won 
over by the arguments of Mr. Hastie ; but 
though so absolute in his government, and in 



168 HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 

his influence over his people, that every look 
and word of his was the subject of imitation, 
and the slightest command for silence was obey- 
ed in an instant by tumultuous thousands, there 
seemed to be a point to which he could not, 
dared not, lead his people — and this was, the 
abolition of the traffic in slaves. Radama felt 
that the slave trade was the favourite trade of 
the people ; it enabled to dispose of their pri- 
soners of war, criminals, &c., and to receive in 
return money, articles of dress, ornaments and 
arms. It was a source of profit and a means 
of defence. The king knew this, and he also 
knew that in abolishing it he risked his throne 
and his life. 

During the time that Mr. Hastie was press- 
ing the subject upon his attention, ten or 
twelve of his principal counsellors were in the 
habit of assembling every morning at the back 
of the house occupied by the British agent. 
These men used to sit upon the ground, de- 
liberating for about two hours, after which two 
of their number used to wait upon the king ; 
and doubtless these deliberations had great 
weight in retarding the operation of his good 
intentions. 

At length, however, he yielded to the con- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 169 

Slant, yet gentle arguments of Mr. Hastie, and 
promised that if the English government would 
supply his country with arms and ammunition, 
he would put a total stop to the traffic in 
slaves. On the 9th of October, 1817, an assem- 
bly of about five thousand natives was called for 
the purpose of ascertaining the opinion of the 
people, and setting before them more correct 
views on the subject of slavery. There was 
much opposition among the people, yet on the 
following morning the business was finally set- 
tled; and it only remained now for the treaty 
to be drawn up and the proclamation issued 
over the island. By the treaty Radama pro- 
mised that no slave should be sold out of Ma- 
dagascar, and the English government, in re- 
turn for the loss of revenue which he would 
thus incur, engaged to pay Radama yearly 
the following articles : 

" One thousand dollars in gold. 

" One thousand dollars in silver. 

" One hundred barrels of powder, of 100 lbs. each. 

" One hundred English muskets, complete, with accoutre- 
ments. 

" Ten thousand flints. 

" Four hundred red jackets. — Four hundred shirts. 

" Four hundred pair of trousers. — Four hundred pair- of 
shoes. 

15 



170 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

" Four hundred soldiers' caps. — Four hundred stocks. 
"Twelve Serjeants' swords, (regulation,) with belts. 
" Four hundred pieces of white cloth, 



' Two hundred pieces of blue cloth, 3 
" A full-dress coat, hat, and boots, all complete, for King 
Radama. 

"Two horses." 

The treaty, on the part of Radama, went 
into immediate operation, (according to one 
of its articles,) and within three months, three 
of the near relatives of the king suffered death 
for a violation of it. Not so with the British. 
Immediately after it was drawn up. Sir Robert 
Farquhar sailed with it for England, to ob- 
tain the royal approbation; leaving General 
Hall governor in his place. Hall not only 
refused to pay the articles stipulated in the 
treaty, but sent back the six youths whom Ra- 
dama had placed under instruction at Mauri- 
tius, and recalled Mr. Hastie, the British agent , 
at Madagascar. j 

Meantime, Messrs. S. Bevan and D. Jones, j 
who had been sent out by the London Mis- \ 
sionary Society, at the request of Governor ^ 
Farquhar, arrived at Mauritius. Governor fc 
Hall discouraged their design of proceeding to jjj 
Madagascar, on account of the treaty with^ 
Radama being broken, and the insalubrity of | 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 171 

the climate. They at length, however, deter- 
mined to go over to Madagascar, to make 
their own observations on the state of the peo- 
ple on the coast, and in the interior, and to 
judge of the probability of establishing a mis- 
sion in any part of the island with safety and 
success. They reached Tamatave in August, 
and on the Sth September, 181 85opened a school 
of six children, sons of the chief, and the 
head-men of the village. The parents of the 
scholars appeared gratified by what they heard 
and saw, and were especially delighted with 
the singing. The missionaries were equally 
pleased with the capacity, docility, and im- 
provement of their pupils. Having accom- 
plished the object of this preliminary visit, 
Messrs. Jones and Bevan sailed for Mauritius, 
taking with them specimens of the writing of 
their pupils. On returning with their families 
to Madagascar, they were received by the na- 
tives with a hearty welcome ; and it was pe- 
culiarly encouraging to them to ascertain, 
that the children formerly taught had, during 
the absence of the missionaries, been teaching 
others, and that all were impatient for the re- 
opening of the school. 

Mr. Jones immediately commenced the erec- 



172 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

tion of a school-house. The season was, how- 
ever, unfavourable, and disease soon com- 
menced, its ravages in the mission family. The 
rains were now heavy, and the proper precau- 
tions having been neglected, a damp house ac- 
celerated the attack of the Malagasy fever, 
which they soon felt with fearful violence. 
Within three months, Mr. Jones's wife and 
daughter, and Mr. and Mrs. Bevan and their 
daughter became its victims ; Mr. Jones barely 
escaped to Mauritius with his life. 

On the return of Governor Farquhar tlie 
treaty was renewed, with an additional article 
providing that the king should send twenty 
youths to England to be instructed as artificers. 

In describing the 11th of October, 1820, 
when the treaty was publicly renewed, the in- 
defatigable Hastie observes, " The moment ar- 
rived when the welfare of millions was to be 
decided : I agreed to the new condition, and I 
trust that Divine Power which guides all hearts, 
will induce the government to sanction the 
act. The kab'ary was convened, the proclama- ^ 
tion published, and received with transport by j 
thousands. The British flag was unfurled j| 
and freedom — freedom from the bloody stain i 
of slave-dealing — hailed as the gift of the j 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 173 

British nation. I declare," adds -this gene- 
rous-hearted man, " the first peal of Radama's 
cannon, announcing the amity sealed, rejoiced 
my heart more than the gift of thousands 
would have done.'^ 



15* 



174 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Beginning of the mission — Mr. Jones opens a school at the 
capital — Mr. Griffiths and others arrive — Feelings of the 
king to the missionaries — The first-fruits of the school — 
First Christian baptism on the island — Four natives sent to 
England — Letter of the king — More missionaries — Their 
burial-place — Christian church formed — Instance of hospi- 
tality — The language reduced to w^riting — Visit of Governor 
Farquhar — Interview with Captain Moorsom. 

No sooner was the British flag hoisted at 
the capital, on the memorable occasion of the 
treaty being ratified, than Radama sent a mes- 
sage to Mr. Jones, encouraging him to come 
and settle at the capital, promising counte- 
nance and protection to any other missionaries 
who might arrive. Mr. Jones wrote to the 
king to ask if the wives and families of mis- 
sionaries might also come, and be assured of 
protection; to which his majesty immediately 
gave a satisfactory reply. 

On the Sth of December, 1820, the operations 
of the missionaries were commenced in the 
capital 5 Mr. Jones on that day beginning a 



HISTOnr OF aMADAGASCAR. 175 

school with three children. The next day the 
number was increased, and subsequently more 
were added. An appropriate residence being 
required, Radama laid the foundation of a new 
house for Mr. Jones, and sprinkled it, accord- 
ing to the usage of the country, with sacred 
water. The people were astonished to find 
the king performing this act for a stranger and 
a white man, it having been the practice for 
him to restrict the ceremony to members of his 
own family. His object, however, was to give 
a public testimony of his respect for the mis- 
sionary, and thus to obviate the prejudices and 
conciliate the esteem of the natives, and to 
faciUtate his labours among them and their 
children. 

In April, 1821, the pupils in the mission 
school were twenty-two in number. They 
had all been selected from the king's family 
and favourites, and from the nobility. Some 
of them were already able to read in the Bible, 
and had made considerable progress in other 
branches of education. The king, who was 
particularly pleased with their singing, used 
frequently to enter the school while they were 
thus employed, and would sometimes give out 
the line with which they were to commence. 



176 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

He was extremely desirous that these scholars 
should be well instructed, and that the first es- 
tabhshment of the kind in the capital should 
be called the Royal School. 

Soon after Mr. Griffiths and four artisans 
arrived ; and it was resolved, with the consent 
of the king, that Mr. Griffiths should open a 
school for the children of the common people ; 
and that when Mrs. Griffiths arrived, the girls 
should be instructed. To a letter of Governor 
Farquhar, recommending Mr. Griffiths to his 
notice he replied, " Yes, I will be a father to 
them all." 

In October, Mr. Jones and Mr. Griffiths 
visited Mauritius, and returned with their 
wives, and more assistants ; and on the 23d 
of the same month Mr. Griffiths commenced 
his school. 

A custom has prevailed from time imme- 
morial in Madagascar, of presenting to the 
sovereign the first-fruits of the ground, and the 
first specimens of new productions or new 
manufactures, in short, of whatever is new of 
every description. In accordance with this 
custom, Mrs. Griffiths presented to the king, in 
December, 1821, a specimen of the first-fruits 
of needle-work in Madagascar, the work of } 



HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 177 

her pupils. The king, who was highly pleased, 
sent to thank her for teaching the girls, and 
presented each of them with a small piece of 
money. On various occasions the king ex- 
pressed the interest he felt in their object ; and 
by frequently visiting the missionaries, endea- 
voured to convince them of his earnest wish 
to aid and encourage them in their work. 

An interesting event occurred at this pe- 
riod. The ordinance of baptism was ad- 
ministered by Protestants, for the first time 
in Madagascar, on New Year's day, 1822. 
A small congregation was formed on the oc- 
casion by the children of the two schools, a 
part of the royal family, Ralala the chief judge, 
and the French artisans from Mauritius. The 
king had been invited, but, being then at his 
country residence, forgot the precise time ; for 
which, on the following day, he expressed his 
regret. The greatest order and regularity was 
manifested by all who attended, in whose 
minds a service so novel appeared to awaken 
considerable interest; and this in return ex- 
cited a corresponding interest in the members 
of the mission. The sight of sixty heathen 
children, who a few months before were living 



178 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

without wholesome restraint, scarcely clothed^, 
and havmg^no one to care for their souls/^ 
now assembled at the celebration of a Chris- 
tian ordinance, habited in white European 
dresses, manifesting great decorum in their 
manners, and harmoniously uniting in the 
singing, afforded much gratification, and 
awakened the cheering hope that the period 
might not be far distant when these youths 
should themselves profess their faith in Christy, 
and, by receiving the rite of baptism, declare 
themselves his disciples. 

The nature of the baptismal service was^ 
briefly explained by Mr. Jones in the native 
language. 

The four youths who according to the treaty 
were sent to England for instruction, were ac- 
companied by Prince Rataffe, the brother-in- 
law of the king ; he was in London at the an- 
niversary of the London Missionary Society^ 
and was the bearer of the following letter to 
its directors : — 

^ GE2f TLEXEN, 

" When the treaty was concluded between me and Governor- 
Farquhar, which had for its object the cessation of the export- 
ation of slaves from the island of Madagascar, the missionary^ 
Mr. David Jones, accompanied the commissioners from the 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 179 

British government, and arrived at Tananarive, the capital of 
my kingdom, with the intention of paying me a visit to solicit 
from me leave to settle with other Missionaries, in my domi- 
nions. Having informed myself of his profession and mission, 
I acquiesced with much pleasure in his request. 

" Mr. Jones, your missionary, having satisfied me that those 
sent out by your society have no otlier object than to enlighten 
the people by persuasion and conviction, and to discover to 
them the means of becoming happy, by evangelizing and 
civilizing them, after the manner of European nations, and 
this not by force, contrary to the light of their understandings : 

" Therefore, gentlemen, I request you to send me, if con- 
venient, as many missionaries as you may deem proper, to- 
gether with their families, if they desire it ; provided you send 
skilful artisans to make my people workmen, as well as good 
Christians. 

"I avail myself, gentlemen, of this opportunity, to promise 
all the protection, the safety, the respect, and the tranquillity 
which missionaries may require from my subjects. 

" The missionaries who are particularly required at present, 
are persons who are able to instruct my people in the Chris- 
tian religion, and in various trades, such as weaving, carpen- 
tering, &c. 

"I shall expect, gentlemen, from you, a satisfactory answer, 
by an early opportunity. 

"Accept, gentlemen, the assurances of my esteem and affec- 
tion. ' (Signed) "Radama Manjaka." 

" Tananarive, Oct. 29, 1820." 

Influenced by the favourable views of Ra- 
dama and the representations of Mr. Jones, the 
missionary at the capital, another missionary 



ISO HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

and four artisans were appointed to Madagas- 
car; and when Prince Rataffe returned, he 
was accompanied by this reinforcement, which 
consisted of the Rev. J. Jeffreys and his wife, 
Messrs. Brooks, Chick, Canham, and Row- 
lands. 

They were encouraged by Radama and the 
missionaries already in the island, and cherish- 
ed the pleasing expectation of aiding in the ^ 
improvements of the Malagasy, by introducing 
a knowledge of their respective trades, the 
working in iron, the tanning and currying of 
leather, and the improving of the arts of spin- 
ning and weaving silk, flax, and cotton. The 
feelings of gladness with which the arrange- 
ments for commencing their labours had been 
made, were soon mingled with sadness, on ac- 
count of the comparatively sudden removal by 
death of one of their number, Mr. Brooks, 
who died after a short illness, on the 24th of 
June, ten days after his arrival at the capital. 

The missionaries applied to the judges for a 
spot of ground which might be regarded as a 
burial-place for the mission. They were de- 
sired to take freely as much as they chose. 
The spot of ground which they selected was 
afterwards enclosed, and here the remains of 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 181 

those members of the mission who have died 
at the capital repose in hope of the resurrection 
of the just. 

On the 25th the remains of Mr. Brooks were 
committed to the grave. All the members of 
the mission attended, and the children of the 
school. Great numbers of the natives were 
also present ; they appeared much impressed 
with the scene, and manifested a general and 
affectionate sympathy with the survivors on 
the melancholy occasion. 

The consent of the king having been ob- 
tained for pupils to be taught by the newly- 
arrived missionary, Mr. Jeffreys commenced a 
school on the 25th of June with twelve child- 
ren. The readiness of the Malagasy youths 
to receive instruction was always a source of 
encouragement to the missionaries, and formed 
no small part of the pleasure they experienced 
in their work. A considerable part of the 
stimulus operating on the minds of the scholars 
arose, no doubt, from their desire to please the 
king ; what the sovereign directed to be done, 
having been engaged in with alacrity and 
energy. Besides this, the taratasy — learning to 
read and write — carried with it all the charm 
of novelty, and thus both operated favourably 
16 



182 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

in promoting that degree of proficiency which 
afforded so much satisfaction to their teachers. 
It could, however, scarcely be expected that 
some jealousies should not be created in the 
minds of the natives generally, during these 
new, and to them somewhat incomprehensi- 
ble, proceedings. They well knew that the 
white people, who had previously visited the 
capital, had come to purchase their country- 
men ; that by their means their children and 
relations had been taken away, and sold into 
slavery; and they were still jealous of the 
strangers at the capital, though, as themselves 
were witnesses, engaged in the benevolent em- 
ployment of teaching their offspring under the 
public and avowed sanction of the king. It 
was not long after Mr. Jeffreys had formed his 
school, that whispers and murmurs were 
heard, tending to convey suspicion of the mis- 
sionaries being leagued with Radama to ob- 
tain their children, under pretence of instruct- 
ing them, but ultimately seUing them into 
slavery ; and in this suspicion they fancied 
they were supported by the fact, that Prince 
Rataffe had returned from England, and had 
not brought back with him the Malagasy 
youths. Instead of their coming back, more 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 183 

white people had arrived, and how many 
more might come they could not tell. Their 
suspicions soon grew into the most anxious 
fears; and parental affection, under a some- 
what extraordinary form, proved fatal to 
several children, by the strange and cruelly 
mistaken measures employed to conceal them, 
and thus prevent their being placed in the 
schools. Many parents residing in the neigh- 
bourhood of the capital actually hid their 
children in their rice-holes, where several of 
them died, suffocated by the heated and con- 
fined air of those subterraneous granaries. 

To arrest the progress of these suspicions, 
which threatened to destroy the infant mission, 
by exciting the strongest prejudices against its 
agents and its objects, the most prompt and 
decisive measures were required. Radama 
was at that time prosecuting the war in the 
Sakalava country ; but his mother, a woman 
of considerable energy and independence of 
mind, and who maintained some degree of au- 
thority in the absence of her son, sent a kabary 
to the people, to be published in all the mar- 
kets, announcing that any person who should 
be convicted of raising false reports respecting 
the white people or the king, should be re- 



184 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

duced to slavery ; and that whoever should be 
found guilty of concealing children in the rice- 
holes, and thereby causing their death, should 
be put to death for the offence. "Cease there- 
fore at once/^ said Rambolamasoandro, "from 
all such practices, for it is the instruction of 
your children here, and not sending them into 
another country, that is the wish and intention 
of Radama your king.^' 

This spirited and well-timed message had 
its desired effect. Confidence appeared to be 
restored, and the concealment of children was 
not afterwards heard of. 

On the first Sunday in September, 1822, the 
members of the mission, though they had been 
connected prior to their leaving England with 
different denominations of Christians, formed 
themselves into a holy fraternity, or church, at 
Tananarivo, celebrating for the first time the 
ordinance of the Lord's supper. This took 
place within the court-yard of the palace. Al- 
though the church was formed on the Congre- 
gational plan, it was arranged as a fundamen- 
tal rule in the society, that the same liberal 
principles of admission and communion should 
be adopted, which characterize the parent in- 
stitution ; so that Christians of other denomi- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 185 

nations, walking in the faith and purity of the 
gospel, who might afterwards visit or reside 
on the spot, should feel themselves welcome 
to a participation of the privileges which the 
fellowship now formed was designed to se- 
cure. 

Towards the end of September, Mr. Jones, 
Mr. Griffiths, and Mr. Canham made a tour 
westward of the capital to the distance of about 
seventy miles, taking twelve of the most ad- 
vanced among the scholars with them. The 
excursion was intended to aid them in the ac- 
quirement of the language, and to increase 
their knowledge of the manners, customs, and 
morals of the people, together with the pro- 
duce of their soil, and their methods of culti- 
vating the ground. 

As they were passing through a village they 
Avere met by an elderly man, who begged of 
them to turn back, and partake of some re- 
freshment. This being a singular instance of 
hospitality, and offered at a suitable time of 
day for resting, they accepted the invitation, 
and accompanied the old man to his house. 
Mats were spread for them, and a present 
brought of ducks, fowls, a pig, and some rice ; 
and that nothing might be wanting for the im- 
16^ 



1S6 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

mediate entertainment of his visitors, the hos- 
pitable host actually chopped up his bedstead 
to provide fuel for cooking. He expressed 
great joy in their having accepted his invita- 
tion, remarking, that he wished to honour 
those whom Radama honoured, and to respect 
and love those whom Radama respected. On 
thanking him for his hospitality, and present- 
ing him with a few yards of white cloth, he 
was so delighted that he leaped and danced 
with ecstasy, calling on heaven, and earth, the 
sun, and moon, and all above and all below — 
god and the king — to bless thern, and give 
them the desire of their hearts. 

After an absence of about a month, they 
returned home, having obtained a sufficient 
knowledge of the disposition and circum- 
stances of the people, to feel the importance 
and eligibility of endeavouring to extend the 
benefits of education in the country around the 
capital. 

In January, 1823, some important arrange- 
ments were made respecting the orthography 
of the language. It was decided by the king, 
that the English consonants and the French 
vowels should be employed ; and thus, with 
the exception of some alterations afterwards 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 187 

made, and sanctioned by the king, the mode 
of reducing the Malagasy language to writing 
was determined. In connexion with this sub- 
ject, a circumstance is related by Captain 
Moorsom, which appears too characteristic of 
Radama, in his royal pupilage, to be omitted. 
After Mr. Hastie had begun to teach him Eng- 
lish orthography, he placed himself, in the ab- 
sence of that gentleman from the capital, under 
the tuition of a French master ; but becoming 
confused with the different sounds of the let- 
ters, he used a somewhat enviable prerogative, 
and made a law, that throughout his whole 
kingdom each letter should have but one 
sound. Previous to this the Arabic character 
had been employed. 

The Governor of Mauritius had recently 
touched at Tamatave on his way to England, 
with the hope of seeing Radama, who was 
equally anxious to meet the benefactor of his 
country. This meeting would most probably 
have been effected, had not Radama been de- 
tained at Tananarivo by the approaching an- 
nual festival. His remark on the occasion 
was, " If I leave home before the feast, the 
people will say I have more regard for fo- 
reigners than for my own subjects.'^ And, 



188 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

therefore, ever watchful as he was over his in- 
fluence with the people, he determined to risk 
the loss of his own gratification, for the cer- 
tainty of holding firmly the reins of govern- 
ment at home. 

Immediately after the festival, Radama 
hastened to the coast, but received by the way 
the mortifying intelligence, that Sir Robert had 
touched at Tamatave, and was gone. " Then 
it is too late,^' exclaimed Radama, " and I shall 
never see my friend !'^ 

He, however, enjoyed an interview with Cap- 
tain Moorsom of the British navy, which, as 
described by Captain Moorsom, presents a sim- 
ple but graphic picture of the person and 
character of a prince, who, to borrow the ex- 
pression of the captain, " was adorned with 
qualities as much beyond his situation in the 
then existing circumstances of his country, as 
any monarch of whom we have record." " In 
his individual character," observes Captain 
Moorsom, "it is probable he approaches 
nearest to that of Peter the Great." 

Radama is described by the same writer as 
being short and slender, and, though at that 
time thirty years old, as not appearing more 
than twenty, v\nth a boyish aspect and de- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 189 

tneanour. On the occasion of his first inter- 
view, Captain Moorsom, accompanied by his 
officers and marines, went on shore to meet 
the king ; and Mr. Hastie, having lent him a 
horse, they drew up in an open space a short 
distance from the house of Rafaralahy. The 
king's advanced guard soon appeared,^ and 
Hned the road on each side ; next followed his 
grenadiers, consisting of one thousand five 
hundred men, all armed and equipped as Eng- 
lish soldiers ; having at their head Radama's 
adjutant-general : these troops, with their band, 
marched between the lines in open column, 
and presented arms as they passed ; next came 
the generals and nobles, and then Radama, 
mounted on an Arabian steed, and dressed iix 
the uniform of an English field-officer of engi- 
neers, with a cap fitting close to the head, 
made of crimson velvet, variously ornamented; 
his boots were of the same ; and over his head 
a small silk canopy was carried by an attend- 
ant. A number of irregular troops, clad in the 
costume of the country, but armed with fire- 
locks, closed the procession. "When the 
king,'' says Captain Moorsom, "came within 
sixty yards of where I stood, I advanced ; and 
when I had passed through his guards, he 



190 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

drew up, and we shook hands. I expressed 
in French my pleasure in meeting him, and 
took my station on his right, with Mr. Hastie 
on his left, while the officers of my guard filed 
round to the rear, and in this manner we pro- 
ceeded to Rafaralahy's house. When Radama 
dismounted in the court, the prince and his 
wives, one of whom was sister to the king, 
threw themselves at their sovereign's feet, and 
kissed his boots. He endeavoured to prevent 
this customary salutation, which he had re- 
cently prohibited. After the exchange of a 
few civilities, accompanied by mutual invita- 
tions given and accepted, the party separated 
for a time, and met again at the dinner-table. 
Here the king, after giving the health of King 
George, made a speech, abounding in meta- 
phor, the substance of which was addressed to 
his nobles. "You hail me as your chief,'' 
said, he, "I acknowledge you as my officers. 
You look to me as a wide-spreading tree, 
whose leaves will shade, whose branches 
cover you : it is not to me you should look, it 
is to the King of England, the root of this 
tree !" 

In the conversation which followed. Captain 
Moorsom endeavoured to impress still further 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 191 

upon the mind of the king, the importance of 
commerce- in raising the national character of 
his people. He also used every argument to 
convince him that neither commerce, nor any- 
other means of national prosperity, could be 
maintained, without the cessation of intestine 
wars, and the depredations of tribe against 
tribe. To all which the king listened atten- 
tively, and replied with his wonted shrewdness 
and good sense. 

On the 11th, the king dined on board the 
frigate, some of the English officers being left 
on shore as hostages. He had some trouble 
to satisfy his people about his safety, the 
French having spread a report that the Eng- 
lish, who were in the practice of inviting the 
chiefs on board their ships, and carrying them 
off, wanted to entrap him. His own determi- 
nation, however, silenced all remonstrances ; 
but still the vessel was watched with jealousy 
by the people on shore, who shouted, when- 
ever they perceived the least motion, " There 
now, he is off. The king is gone.^^ 

He was evidently rather unnerved, and the 
rolling of the ship made him giddy; but he 
paid great attention to what was shown him, 
unlike the generality of the curious and unin- 



192 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

formed, being inquisitive without annoying. 
In the course of conversation, many things fell 
under his notice, which led to subjects he had 
never heard of; and it is remarkable that his 
mind, instead of being oppressed by too much 
of what was new and surprising, seemed only 
to expand under the pressure. 

After dining on board the Ariadne, Radama 
drank the health of King George, and spoke 
to this effect, — that many attempts had been 
made to create animosity between him and the 
English, and to induce him to distrust them ; 
that he felt for the king of England an attach- 
ment almost filial;"^ and he gave the greatest 
proof of his confidence in the officers of the 
king, by thus placing himself on board the 
ship; and he desired that the sentiments he 
expressed might be conveyed by Captain 
Moorsom to his sovereign. 

He left the ship with a look that plainly ex- 
pressed, " How glad I am it is over !'^ and on 
reaching the shore, where the delight of his 
people was expressed in the usual manner by 



* The king expressed this by a familiar term, equivalent to 
saying, " I hail him, old boy !" — and this to a monarch, who 
wa6 distinguished as the most perfect gentleman in Europe ! 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 19^3 

dancing and singing, accompanied by 'the 
loudest vociferations of welcome, he no sooner 
touched the land, than he bent one knee to the 
ground, exclaiming, that his mother (the earth) 
had permitted him to leave her for a while, 
and now, as a dutiful son, he saluted her on 
his return. 

For a few days subsequent to this visit to 
the ship, Radama was prevented attending to 
any public business by an attack of illness ; 
but as soon as he was sufficiently recovered, 
Captain Moorsom paid him a visit, in com- 
pany with Mr. Hastie, and took the occasion 
of his late indisposition to congratulate him on 
his recovery, in a manner which tended to 
bring to his consideration the responsibility he 
owed to the Almighty Being who thus pro- 
longed his life, and who assigned to every man 
his place in the creation. Captain Moorsom 
then laid before him two Bibles, one English 
and the other French, and said that, by the 
king's permission, he desired to present to him 
a book which gave the history of a man whose 
life was spent in doing good, and which con- 
tained an account of the religion of the Eng- 
lish people — of that which taught them it was 
their duty to do good to all men, and. to try to 
17 



194 HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 

do good to Madagascar; adding, that the 
covering of the book was not splendid, but the 
inside was valuable. 

The king replied, that if the books contained 
what was straight, and not crooked, (his meta- 
phor for truth,) he should be glad to have 
them ; and with regard to the outside, he did 
not regard a man for the beauty of his counte- 
nance, but for the qualities of his heart. Cap- 
tain Moorsom then wrote the king's name in 
the Bible ; and it is remarkable, that the same 
book, after being faithfully preserved during 
the king's lifetime, was buried with him 
amongst other treasures in his splendid tomb. 

In many subsequent conversations. Captain 
Moorsom proved himself the faithful friend of 
Radama, by pointing out the evils arising out 
of many of those national customs which the 
king had not yet felt himself able entirely to 
abolish, particularly that of trial by poison ; 
nor was it to an indifferent or inattentive ear 
that these arguments were addressed. "Ra- 
dama,'' says Captain Moorsom, "is an extra- 
ordinary man. His intellect is as much ex- 
panded beyond that of his countrymen, as that 
of the nineteenth century is in advance of the 
sixteenth. But his penetration and straight- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 195 

forward good sense would make him remark- 
able under any circumstances. With all the 
impatience of a despotic monarch, exacting the 
most prompt and implicit obedience to his will, 
jealous of his authority, and instant to punish, 
he is yet sagacious, and cautious in altering 
established customs. His power is founded 
upon popular opinion ; his game is to play the 
people against the chiefs, and he understands 
it well; for these fear, and those love him.'' 



196 HISTORY OF MADA6ASCAB. 



CHAPTER IX. 

The missionary seminaiy — New schools opened — Encouraged 
by the king — The Madagascar Missionary School Society 
formed — Arrival of missionaries — Illness and death of Mr. 
Hastie — Grief of Radama — -Mr. Hastie's services to Mada* 
gascar — The king's letter announcing his death — Arrival of 
a press and printers — Death of Mr. Hovenden — Detection 
of an impostor — Arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Freeman — First 
attempt to print native books — General state of the mission 
— Death of Mr. Tyerman — Death of Radama. 

In March, 1824, the king expressed a wish 
that the schools already opened in the capital, 
and now containing two hundred and sixty- 
eight pupils, should be joined into one, and 
called the Missionary Seminary, and be re- 
garded as the parent institution and the model 
for all the schools that might be formed in any 
part of his dominions. Messrs. Jones and 
Griffiths, Avith their wives, were to superintend 
the seminary. With this request the mission- 
aries complied, and Mr. Jeffreys opened a new 
school about twenty miles from the capital. 
At thie suggestion of Mr. Hastie, schools were 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 197 

established in seven other different villages in 
the neiglibourhood of the capital. Before the 
middle of the year about two thousand children 
were under instruction. 

Upon a careful review of the events which 
had lately transpired, the missionaries coidd 
not but feel that they had great encourage- 
ment in their labours. The field for exertion 
had been greatly extended ; a large accession 
had been made to the number of their scholars ; 
means of instruction were rapidly multiplying, 
as teachers from the central school at the capi- 
tal were found competent to conduct those at 
the different villages around. A commence- 
ment had been made in the translation of the 
sacred Scriptures, religious services were regu- 
larly held in the native language on the Sab- 
bath, a commodious school and places of wor- 
ship had been opened, and the missionaries 
continued to receive the sanction and assist- 
ance of the king in their multipUed and in- 
creasingly important labours. 

Nor were the hopes of better and brighter 
days for Madagascar confined to that sphere 
alone in which the missionaries were labour- 
ing. The morning of civilization had first 
dawned upon the mind of the monarch, and 
17* 



198 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

the light was now extending wherever his in- 
fluence was felt. Agriculture was rendering 
to the people the peaceful rewards of industry. 
Radama felt that he had acquired his sove- 
reignty by his military power, that he must 
maintain his supremacy by the same means, 
and that, instead of leading into the field of 
battle a lawless horde of rapacious savages, he 
now commanded a regularly disciplined army; 
while the judicious and indefatigable agent of 
the British government was seizing every op- 
portunity that presented itself for suggesting 
better principles of government, and proposing 
laws more just and beneficial, by which the 
condition of the people might be rendered 
more favourable to their intellectual and moral 
culture. 

Attendance at the schools was always con- 
sidered by Radama as a branch of service 
rendered to himself as sovereign of the coun- 
try. To serve in the army, to fetch timber 
from the forest, to learn a trade, to prepare 
and carry charcoal to the capital for the king's 
smiths, were parts of the service paid to the 
king, and schools were now made another 
branch of public duty. 

The intentions of Radama were good, in 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 199 

making the sending of the children to school a 
mark of loyalty and obedience on the part of 
the parents, but it ultimately proved injurious 
to the interests of education among the people 
generally ; and it ought to be stated, that, al- 
though any objection made by parents to al- 
lowing their children to attend the schools, 
was liable to be construed into an act of dis- 
loyalty, the king invariably preferred the ex- 
ercise of mild measures in promoting the 
education of his people. 

In establishing schools and appointing 
teachers in the villages around the capital, 
great competition was shown by the inhabit- 
ants. The number of scholars promised by 
the people was the ground upon which the 
missionaries decided to open a school ; and it 
was not without satisfaction that they found 
themselves invited to commence one at the 
village of Betsizaraina, the residence of the 
idol Rabehaza. It was, however, not on the 
safest ground that their operations were carried 
on in so sacred a neighbourhood. A teacher, 
who had been instructed in the knowledge of 
the one true God, and was convinced of the 
folly and sinfulness of idolatry, happening to 
speak to the children one day in yery disre- 



200 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

spectful terms of Rabehaza^ he was severely 
reproved by the headmen of the village. The 
teacher defended himself, saying, that the idol 
was nothing, that even the dust of the earth 
was more useful than their god. Upon which 
one of the men was so enraged as to strike the 
boy with great violence. The affair was after- 
wards carried before the judges, and it was 
finally deemed most prudent to remove the 
teacher from the school. Nor did the matter 
end here : a short time after that, a heavy 
shower of hailstones falling, and destroying 
quantities of rice in the plantations, the people 
attributed the calamity to the displeasure of 
the idol, on account of the- children's ceasing 
to believe on him. They therefore threatened 
the children with the severest consequences 
of their displeasure, if they still continued to 
treat the idols with disrespect. '-We have 
nursed you,'' said the parents, ^^we have 
brought you up to this day ; but now you for- 
sake the customs of your forefathers. We give 
you time to think of it, and unless you deter- 
mine to abide by our wishes and our customs, 
Ave shall complain of you to the king." 

At the expiration of the period named, the 
children replied, " We cannot control you, we 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 201 

cannot prevent your complaining to the king ; 
but we have been taught to tell the truth, and 
if, to please you, we should say with our lips 
that we believe in the idol, yet in our hearts 
we cannot/' 

The people had collected as many hailstones 
as they could, and thrown them into the school- 
room. Afterwards, on carrying their taxes 
for payment to the capital, they took the op- 
portunity of complaining to the king of the 
injurious tendency of the schools. ^' Our child- 
ren,'' they said, " are forsaking the customs of 
our ancestors, and forsaking our gods." "Do 
you mind your work," replied the king, " and 
let the children mind their instructions." 

A circumstance, equally characteristic of the 
king, occurred a short time afterwards, when 
some people from this village waited upon him 
to solicit a piece of fine cloth to cover their 
idol. "Why, surely," said Radama, "he must 
be very poor, if he cannot get a piece of cloth 
for himself. If he is a god, he can provide 
his own garments." 

Messrs. Jones and Griffiths now divided 
their time every Sabbath between visiting the 
village-schools, and conducting divine service 
in the chapel at the capital ; and whether from 



202 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

the novelty of the services, or from the preva- 
lent feeling of competition, each endeavouring 
to be more zealous than his neighbour, the 
congregations on the Sabbath frequently 
amounted to above a thousand persons. The 
doors and windows of the chapel were thronged, 
and the court-yard filled. The queen and one 
of the king's sisters frequently attended ; and 
the people remarked that every Sunday at the 
chapel was like one of their own kabaries. 

The missionaries, unwilling to confine their 
efforts to the capital, and having received fa- 
vourable reports of the salubrity of Fort Dau- 
phin, on the south-eastern coast of the island, 
communicated to Radama their wishes for the 
establishment of a mission in that part of the 
island, and the sanction of the king was finally 
obtained. Bombatoc was also named some 
time afterwards as another eligible field for 
missionary labours ; but with regard to that 
part of Madagascar, Radama expressed his 
fears that the people were too superstitious to 
justify any attempt of the kind at that time. 

The Rev. J. Jeffreys had now been in Ma- 
dagascar three years, one of which he had 
passed at Ambatomanga, superintending a 
school there, and addressing the people in the 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 203 

neighbouring villages Avhenever opportunity 
offered. In the month of January, 1 825, Mrs. 
Jeffreys had been, attacked with severe and 
painful indisposition, in consequence of which, 
a voyage to Mauritius was found necessary 
for the recovery of her health; and in the 
month of June, Mr. Jeffreys and his family 
sailed from Tamatave for Port Louis. In this 
voyage, the inconvenience of their situation on 
board the vessel, with the unaccommodating 
disposition of the captain, were amongst the 
smallest of the trials they were called upon to 
sustain. On the tenth day after embarking, 
both Mr. Jeffreys and his eldest daughter com- 
plained of pain in the head. Other symptoms 
of an alarming nature succeeded, and the af- 
flicted mother had to close the eyes of her dy- 
ing child, at a time when its father could not 
with safety be made acquainted with its situa- 
tion. A few days after, its body was com- 
mitted to the silent deep ; and the bereaved 
mother was called upon to perform the same 
melancholy duty to her husband, who was re- 
moved by death on the 4th of July, having 
endeavoured with his latest breath to point 
out to his surviving wife that consolation, of 
which; from her peculiar situation, she was so 



;^Q4 HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR, 

much in need, and finally commended her to 
the care of that God who promises to be a 
Father to the fatherless, and the God of the 
widow. 

Mrs. Jeffreys pursued her voyage to Mauri- 
tius, where she remained about six weeks, and 
then embarked on the 22dof August, with her 
infant family, for England, which, after a 
voyage not exempt from perils, she reached 
in safety on the 22d of the following Novem- 
ber. 

In the month of August, 1825, a prayer- 
meeting was instituted for the benefit of the 
Malagasy youths, in which it was agreed that 
the native language only should be used. It 
afibrded much satisfaction to the missionaries 
to find some of the scholars not only willing to 
associate with them in these exercises, but 
capable of engaging in prayer themselves, and 
with simplicity, fervour, and apparent feeUngs 
of true devotion, imploring the blessings of the 
true God on themselves and their countrymen. 
These meetings were first held on an evening, 
but it was afterwards found that the morning 
would be more suitable for the purpose; and 
they afterwards extended to the village-schools, 
where several teachers were found, whom the 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 205 

missionaries deemed it suitable to request to 
conduct the services. 

During the autumn of this year, a son of 
General Keating visited Tananarivo, where 
he arrived in company with Mr. Hastie. 
Having expressed considerable interest in the 
state of the mission, and paid much attention 
to the schools, he recommended to the British 
agent the formation of a Madagascar mis- 
sionary school society, for providing, by spe- 
cial subscription, articles used in the schools, 
and the support of native teachers, so as to re- 
lieve the funds of the London Missionary So- 
ciety. The measure appearing eligible, a plan 
was drawn out, and the king's patronage so- 
licited. After some delay, this was procured. 
Officers were then chosen, and subscriptions 
entered into. The statement of the object and 
the regulations were translated into Malagasy, 
and a deputation was appointed to ascertain 
what amount of assistance might be expected 
from the king. Their object, however, did 
not receive his sanction at first ; but this was 
afterwards given to the proposed plan, on 
condition that two of his officers should be 
allowed to attend all the meetings of the so- 
ciety. 

18 



206 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

The donations for this object amounted to 
one hundred and sixty-five dollars, and the 
subscriptions to one hundred and thirty-seven, 
besides the loan of one hundred pounds for the 
benefit of the society, by James Hastie, Esq. 
who lent this sum without interest To the 
above was added, soon afterwards, a donation 
of fifty dollars from his majesty, and the offer 
of ground on which to erect premises for the 
society. 

The rules of the institution were such as 
appeared best adapted to the existing necessi- 
ties of the people, for whose advantage a 
Hbrary was provided, to which it was agreed 
that natives of Madagascar should be admitted 
at the recommendation of the members. 

An eligible site having been chosen for the 
erection of premises for the society, at the 
north end of the town, and near the chapel, an 
application was made on the subject to his 
majesty. Full explanations were laid before 
him, and he at length consented to make a 
grant of the land, and to allow his convicts to 
prepare the ground for the building ; the whole 
cost seven hundred and twenty-two Spanish 
dollars. 

A plan was then formed for establishing a 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 207 

repository, or store of articles used in the 
schools, to be distributed gratis among the 
scholars, and of goods to be sold for the benefit 
of the School Society. So long as it was pro- 
posed to render it an integral part of the 
School Society, great difficulties were found to 
exist ; some members of the latter being un- 
willing to take any part of the pecuniary re- 
sponsibiUty that must necessarily be incurred, 
others being already engaged in business for 
themselves in town. Mr. Hastie, Messrs. 
Jones, Griffiths, Chick, and Canham, mission- 
aries, became responsible for different sums, 
with which the project was commenced; but 
it did not prove so advantageous to the cause 
of education as had been expected, and could 
scarcely be attended to by the missionaries 
without some inconvenience. 

In the month of March, 1826, the annual 
examination of the schools took place, and 
Radama, as usual presided. Rewards were, 
on that occasion, presented by the king to 
those scholars who had made the greatest im- 
provement. The king afterwards proceeded 
to a spacious plain in the centre of the town, 
where all the scholars and teachers, amounting 
to two thousand, assembled. Here he called 



208 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

for a list of the names of all the villages where 
schools were established, with their respective 
numbers of pupils, and, having read it publicly, 
commended those which were prosperous, and 
passed censure on the negligent. 

The schools of the respective districts hav- 
ing been classed, so that it might be seen what 
districts had been most zealous in meeting the 
king's wishes, he addressed the children in the 
following words : — " Do you tell your parents, 
that by attending the schools and learning the 
lessons taught you, you not only give me and 
the white people pleasure, but do honour to 
yourselves and your parents. The knowledge 
you obtain, is good — good for trade. By read- 
ing and writing, you will learn to record and 
preserve in remembrance what else would be 
forgotten, and to acquire the good dispositions 
which are taught, will render you good sub- 
jects ; and this will be your greatest honour 
and glory. Now, go home, and tell your pa- 
rents I am pleased with you. ' Fear God, and 
obey the king.' *' 

Some of the teachers from each district re- 
plied to the king in language expressive of 
their attachment to him, and their determina- 
tion to deserve his favour ; after which, ten 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 209 

bullocks were given to them as a royal present, 
and the assembly broke up, well pleased with 
the transactions of the day. 

The prospects of the mission were regarded 
by its friends as encouraging; and soon after 
the painful intelligence of the decease of Mr. 
Jeffrey had reached England, the directors of 
the Missionary Society appointed the Rev. 
David Johns to succeed him, who proceeded 
accordingly, on the 5th of May, to Mauritius. 
The party appointed on this occasion to rein- 
force the mission at Tananarivo, consisted of 
Mr. and Mrs. Johns, Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, 
Mr. and Mrs. Cummins, and Raolombelona, 
one of the native youths who had finished his 
education at Manchester, and had made him- 
self acquainted with the art of spinning and 
dyeing cotton. Several of the youths sent 
from Madagascar had previously returned, and 
two of them still remained in England for fur- 
ther improvement. Mr. Johns and his com- 
panions reached Port Louis in safety in the 
month of July. 

In September, 1826, Mr. Hastie, who had 

been sent to the coast to settle the affairs of a 

chief recently deceased, and to aid Mr. Johns 

and his party in their journey, returned to the 

18* 



210 - HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

capital to die. Messrs. Jones and Griffiths 
immediately went to him, and found him so 
changed that they could hardly recognise him 
or comprehend his expressions. They re- 
mained with him night and day ; the king also 
visited him frequently, and sent hourly mes- 
sages of inquiry to his house. 

Few monarchs have given a higher testi- 
mony of their regard for an individual than 
that conveyed in the language of Radama to 
the friends who were watching by the bedside 
of Mr. Hastie. " I have/' said he. " lost many 
of my people, many of my soldiers, most of 
my officers, and several of the Maroserana, or 
highest nobles ; but this is nothing in com- 
parison with the loss of Andrian-asy."^ He 
has been a faithful friend ; vady ny Madagas- 
car — a husband to Madagascar : the good he 
has done cannot be too highly spoken of by 
me. He has surpassed every agent that pre- 
ceded him ; and never will any who may 
succeed him, prove his equal. Many may 
come here, but none will feel more interest in. 
Madagascar than Andrian-asy. Many may 

* "Andriana," nobleman, — a title of respect and honour; 
and Hastie, contracted into " asy." 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 211 

boast much, but none will do so much as he 
has done, nor endure the toils which he has 
endured. May God spare his valuable life to 
us!^^ 

Such were the grateful and ajffectionate ex- 
pressions of Radama. He felt as a father 
about to be bereaved of a beloved son, or as a 
son losing the counsels of a father whose cha- 
racter he reveres, and whose affection he reci- 
procates. 

About one o'clock on the 8th of October, 
Mr. Hastie gently breathed his last, leaving 
with his widow an infant son, then about 
twelve months old. 

Intelligence of the event was conveyed to 
the king without delay. His majesty, contrary 
to the customs of the country, went to see the 
corpse, attended by the several members of 
the royal family. The same mark of respect 
was paid by the judges, the officers, and the 
principal people. A minute-gun was also 
fired, as a public mark of honour. Nothing 
was left undone which could demonstrate the 
respect entertained for his memory, both by 
natives of every rank, and Europeans at the 
capital. His majesty sent persons to prepare 
the grave, and the senior judge furnished the 



2\2 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

Stones which he had prepared for the erection 
of his own tomb. 

On the 20th the corpse was taken to the 
missionary chapel, where the funeral service 
was conducted by the Rev. D. Griffiths. The 
king, the royal family, the judges, and the of- 
ficers attended, with a vast concourse of peo- 
ple. The body was then conveyed for inter- 
ment to the missionary burial-ground, where 
the assembled multitude were suitably ad- 
dressed by the Rev. David Jones. 

Seven years actively employed in the ser- 
vice of Madagascar, and two in a state of un- 
easy suspense and mortification respecting it, 
at Mauritius, may justly be deemed sufficient 
to entitle Mr. Hastie to the character of a faith- 
ful agent to his government, and a steady 
friend and benefactor to Madagascar. Few 
men could perhaps be found more alive than 
he was, to the honour of his own country and 
government, more anxious to sustain its dig- 
nity in the eye of foreigners, or more zealous 
in the pursuit of those objects which he knew 
his government supported in its connexion 
with the island of Madagascar. Few men, it 
may also be said, have been able to obtain 
greater success in their measures — measures 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 213 

calmly deliberated upon^ and arranged, and 
then steadily and perseveringly pursued. In 
all that related to the extinction of the slave 
traffic in Madagascar, to the formation of a 
well-ordered native army on the European 
model, as the great means of securing the as- 
cendancy of Radama, and to the introduction 
of many valuable European arts and sciences, 
adapted to the wants and condition of the 
island, Mr. Hastie was indefatigable in his la- 
bours, and succeeded, perhaps, beyond his 
own most sanguine expectations. In reference 
to the king, although he was clear and decided 
in his statements, inflexible and uncompromis- 
ing in maintaining the truth, he always endea- 
voured to influence him rather by persuasion, 
and by suggestions which might find their way 
to his own judgment, and awaken and stimu- 
late his own reasonings and wishes, than by 
any remarks which the king could deem intru- 
sive or dictatorial. He knew Radama's vanity, 
and, without off*ering adulation, endeavoured 
to prompt and lead him on to exertion, by ap- 
pearing merely to give the hint, and then al- 
lowing the credit of the measure to be appro- 
priated by the monarch himself — thus m 
reality eff'ecting far more than he could have 



214 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

done by direct proposals and urgent solicita- 
tions. He wished Radama to exhibit before 
his people, so far as he could, by his own royal 
example, a pattern of industry and improve- 
ment to his people — to be, in short, the princi- 
pal builder, merchant, cultivator, planter, and 
gardener in the kingdom'. His influence with 
the king increased rapidly, from the time of 
their first a=cquaintance. Radama was cau- 
tious, but he showed in many instances, that 
he placed a confidence almost unbounded in 
the opinions and judgment of the British 
agent. 

It would be fruitless to attempt any thing 
like an account of the individual instances in 
which Mr. Hastie endeavoured to promote the 
great work of civilization in Madagascar. 
The introduction of the first Protestant mis- 
sionaries to the capital ; the wise, humane, 
and judicious counsels he gave to Radama ; 
and the faithful, laborious, persevering efforts 
made to effect the abolition of the slave-trade, 
and the suppression of the piratical attacks on 
the Comoro Islands, — have been already de- 
tailed. His successful efforts with the king to 
induce a commutation of capital punishments, 
by substituting hard labour in chains, for 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 215 

death, is as creditable to his humanity, as the 
reduction of money from seventy, eighty, and 
one hundred per cent., to thirty -three, is to his 
sound policy, in a country where capital is 
small, and requires encouragement. Besides 
the good already stated, Madagascar is in- 
debted to Mr. Hastie for the introduction of 
the horse, and many other useful and valuable 
animals, and of seeds and plants of various 
descriptions. He had made arrangements 
with the king for the manufacture of sugar, 
and, a short time before his decease, ordered 
apparatus from England foF that purpose. He 
had also introduced two ploughs, a harrow, 
and some wheel-carriages, with various imple- 
ments of industry ; and to him the people were 
indebted for the method of training oxen for 
the yoke and to carry burdens. Though pas- 
sionately and avowedly fond of amusements, 
he neither introduced nor encouraged them at 
Madagascar. His constant aim was to set an 
example of industry, and hence, although a 
billiard-table was opened by a European at 
Tananarive, he neither played himself, nor 
gave it his sanction. 

In pursuing the various objects which his 
generous mind embraced, he displayed an 



216 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

eminent degree of persevering energy. No 
labour appeared to him too tedious to be un- 
dertaken, nor could discouragement abate his 
ardour while a ray of hope remained. To ac- 
compUsh his object, he brought all his faculties 
to bear upon one point, so that few diificulties 
were so great as to impede his progress, or 
turn him aside from what appeared to be his 
duty. 

The Protestant mission* in Madagascar is 
deeply indebted to the support and counte- 
nance of Mr. Hastie. He was not only ready 
on all occasions to sanction its labours when 
solicited, but voluntarily embraced every op- 
portunity by which he could manifest the cor- 
dial interest he felt in its prosperity, believing 
it to be among the most important means for 
securing his favourite object — the civilization 
of Madagascar. From the memory of those 
members of the mission who witnessed and 
shared his attentions, the impression of his 
friendship and zeal will not soon be ef- 
faced. 

The high esteem in which Mr. Hastie was 
also held by those traders at Mauritius who 
had commercial connexions at Madagascar, 
deserves to be noticed. During the period of 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 217 

his agency, he possessed the full measure of 
their confidence, for they knew that no exer- 
tions of his would be wanting to secure re- 
spect for their property. They trusted also to 
his prompt and friendly consideration of their 
interests, and the zealous and vigorous mea- 
sures by which he guarded their rights. 

Mr. Hastie appears to have been endowed 
with good natural abilities, and to have ob- 
tained a considerable degree of useful, general, 
and practical knowledge. His manners were 
free, his advice candid, his disposition gene- 
rous, and his friendship constant. A founda- 
tion was laid in his youth, for a solid and 
liberal education, which, had it not been im- 
peded in early life by his fondness for pleasure, 
might have raised him to still higher respecta- 
bility. In proof of the manner in which he 
always endeavoured to turn his information to 
practical account, it is only necessary to allude 
to his extensive and successful practice in the 
use of medicine. His acquaintance with the 
theory was probably extremely limited, but, 
having paid considerable attention to cases 
falling under his notice, he qualified himself to 
be of great use in many instances of illness in 
Madagascar, especially in the treatment of the 
19 



218 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

fever of the country. His success in the ma- 
nagement of this disease became so general, 
that both Europeans and natives referred with 
confidence to his advice. The numerous in- 
stances in which he visited the sick, and re- 
He ved the distressed in Madagascar, afford 
decisive proofs of his kindness and generosity. 
It is scarcely necessary to add, that they tended 
to raise him in the estimation of the natives, 
whose temper, genius, and character he stu- 
died, with honour to himself, and advantage 
to his mission. 

After his death the king wrote the follow- 
ing letter to Governor Farquhar. 

" TananarivOy 23c? October, 1826. 

" I have the honour to do the painfiil and lamentable duty of 
mfonning you, that James Hastie, Esq., the enlightened and 
faithful agent of the British Government at my court for seve- 
ral years, is now no more. He expired on the 18th inst,, at 
one o'clock, p. m., after having been very ill for a long time. 
By his wise counsels, and promptitude always to assist the 
needy and distressed, he not only attached myself to him more 
and more every year, but also my people, who lament his loss, 
as a friend and a father, who could conduct himself in such a 
manner as to attract the affections of persons of every rank 
among my subjects. 

" In order to show my regard of him, and my sorrow at his 
loss, I directed that every thing in my power should be done 



HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 219 

to his honour, as soon as he died, and to give him as honoura- 
ble a funeral as can be done in this country ; therefore, I or- 
dered guns to be fired every quarter of an hour, from two 
o'clock on the day he died, until evening ; and the same again 
on the day of his funeral, until he was buried. 

" He was buried on the morning of the 20th inst., in a vault, 
built of stones and mortar, made expressly for him, on the 
19th; for, after learning the kind of tomb his sorrowful part- 
ner, and his friends here, desired to have for him, I imme- 
diately issued orders to my ministers to have all the necessary 
stones collected, and the vault made without delay ; and that 
the grenadiers should escort him to his tomb, and fire over it 
three rounds, according to the British custom, as I was told. 

"Notwithstanding the death of James Hastie, Esq., the 
British agent at my Court, yet I, Radama, who have stopped 
the slave trade, in accordance with the treaty which I have 
entered into with his Britannic Majesty, am still alive ; and am 
determined, by every means in my power, to abide unchangea- 
bly by any stipulations in the treaty, if the British Government 
continue to give me annually what is stipulated therein. 
" I have, &c. 
(Signed) ^ "Radama." 

Since the introduction of education among 
the people, the labours of the missionaries had 
been retarded for want of a sufficient supply 
of books in the language, which they had now 
reduced to a regular grammatical system, but 
in the month of November, 1827, the long- 
cherished desire of the missionaries, that their 
labours might be facilitated by a printing press, 
seemed about to be realized, by the arrival at 



220 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

the capital of Mr. Hovenden, who had been 
sent out by the London Missionary Society, 
as printer, Avith press, types, and the requisite 
printing materials. But within two days of 
his arrival with his family at Tananarivo, they 
were seized with the Malagasy fever, and on 
the 15th of December, Mr. Hovenden died. 

On the 8th of February, 1828, the annual 
examination of the schools took place, as 
usual, at the capital. His majesty sent mes- 
sages to the scholars by his chief secretary, and 
two other officers, being himself too much oc- 
cupied to attend. The subject to which he 
was at that time giving his attention, was the 
detection and punishment of an impostor, 
which he effected in the following decided and 
characteristic manner: — 

It had been reported to Radama, that a man, 
at a short distance from the capital, professed 
himself to be inspired, and able to foretell 
events. The king sent for him, and received 
him with much parade, his body-guard being 
drawn up, and the female singers arranged in 
their customary order. On entering the gate 
at Mahazoarivo, the singers saluted him, 
"Tonga ny Andriamanitra,^^ "God is come, 
god is come.'^ The king sent to ask him what 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 221 

was his *^fady/^ or religious observances, and 
what he was able to do. He replied, that 
every thing unclean was forbidden ; that he 
knew all secrets, and could disclose futurity. 
" Well,'^ replied Radama, '' I am neither very 
clean, nor very dirty; can I approach you?'' 
*^ Certainly," replied the pretended discloser 
of secrets. "Well, then," said the king, 
"there is a piece of gold buried near this 
house : we have searched for it, but cannot 
find it. Tell me where it is, and I shall be- 
lieve your pretensions, that you are a god." 
The poor fellow was reduced to a very painful 
dilemma. Trembling with fear, he fixed first 
upon one spot, and then another, but all in 
vain. Five or six places were tried without 
success. "Ah! ah!" said the king, "he is 
evidently an impostor. He is deceiving the 
people, and robbing them of their pence. 
Fetch a stick, and let him be beaten." Some 
of his attendants instantly obeyed the com- 
mand; and no art that he possessed could 
save his person from the punishment. Hav- 
ing suffered as much as he could well bear, the 
king gave orders for him to be taken to Am- 
bohipotsy, and there beheaded. He was im- 
mediately conducted towards the fatal spot, in 
19* 



# 



222 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

full expectation of this melancholy fate. A 
second message was^ however, despatched, as 
he drew near the place, for him to be put in 
irons, the first order having only been intended 
to frighten him out of his impostures. He was 
accordingly put in irons, and banished to Am- 
bohibohazo, where he remained at work at 
the time of Radama's death. 

This circumstance was related throughout 
the country, and tended to check the pernicious 
influence of similar impostors. 

' In the month of September of this year, 
1827, the missionaries had the pleasure of 
welcoming to a share in their toils and plea- 
sures the Rev. J. J. Freeman, with his wife 
and family. In the autumn of this year also, 
an attempt was made to bring the press into 
use ; and, although no practical knowledge of 
the art of printing existed among the mission- 
aries, it was hoped that they .might succeed in 
a trial upon a small scale, by the help of books, 
which they were furnished with, as guides. 
The success of their first attempt was such, 
that they were encouraged to proceed in the 
printing of many useful books. 

A considerable portion of the Scriptures 
being translated by Messrs. Jones and Griffiths, 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 223 

and a part of them revised, it was agreed to 
commence the final revision of the whole, pre- 
paratory to their being printed in the Mala- 
gasy language. Fourteen new schools were 
also established this year. 

The general state of the mission at this pe- 
riod, is thus described in a letter from the mis- 
sionaries, dated at the capital on the 3d of 
March, 1828. 

'* The chapel is generally well attended three times on the 
Sabbath; viz. soon after sunrise, by the scholars, for cate- 
chetical exercises, &c. ; in the forenoon, for public worship ; 
and in the afternoon, for the English and Madagasse prayer- 
meeting : in addition to which, many of the scholars remain 
after the morning service, for the reading of the Scriptures. 

" The report of the schools, which will be forwarded after 
the next annual examination, we fear will not present quite so 
encouraging an aspect as last year's, in consequence of the 
numbers in the schools not having been yet filled up by the 
respective officers of the districts, in the room of those with- 
drawn after the last examination. The king wisely exercised 
his authority on this point with mildness, and prefers holding 
out inducements, rather than employing compulsion. 

" The fact, that great numbers in this country, both of those 
actually in the schools, and of those who have left them, are 
now able to read, made us exceedingly anxious to employ some 
means to provide them with books, on however limited a scale. 
The disappointment felt on the lamented decease of Mr. Ho- 
venden, you will easily judge of. His life was not spared long 
enough to put up the press. However, having employed Mr. 



224 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

Cameron to assist us in erecting it, we prepared it for work, and 
resolved on doing our best. Encouraged by the first attempts 
we made in the way of trial, we have proceeded in the work, 
and have issued from the press — fifteen hundred reading 
lessons, consisting of the first twenty -three verses of the 1st 
chapter of Genesis, in Madagasse ; a small impression of the 
Madagasse alphabet, for general distribution, to secure, by the 
king's direction, uniformity in the orthoepy of the language ; 
eight hundred copies of a small volume of Madagasse hymns 
for public worship ; and two thousand two hundred copies of a 
small spelling-book of sixteen pages. 

"There is now in the press a first catechism, which is 
nearly finished, and of which there will be fifteen hundred 
copies ; also, the Gospel by Luke, which is printed as far as 
the 8th chapter. The 1st of January, this year, (1828,) we 
employed in finally revising and putting to press the sheet 
containing the 1st chapter of Luke, wishing thus to hallow the 
new year of our missionary labours, by this service, in opening 
the fountain of living waters in the midst of this parched 
ground. May the healing streams, ere long, flow in a thou- 
sand channels through the wilderness, and transform it into 
the garden of the Lord! 

" The king and the royal family have qp^pressed themselves 
highly gratified with the introduction of the art of printing into 
Madagascar, to circulate among the Amhaniandro, useful and 
religious knowledge. His majesty sent word, that six or eight 
youths might be selected to work at the press permanently. 

" We had hoped this commuication might have been sent 
off, without announcing to you illness or death ; but the. God 
in whose hands is our breath, and whose are all our ways, hag 
ordained otherwise. Death has again visited our little circle. 
Mr. Rowlands came over from Angavo, to meet us at the 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 225 

Lord's table, on the first Sabbath in March. In consequence of 
heavy rains, he had to wade several times through water. In 
a few days after his arrival he was seized with the Malagasy 
fever while at Mr. Cummings's. Having, in some degree, re- 
covered, he went to spend a few days at Mr. Freeman's, where 
he continued to improve. He afterwards suffered a relapse, 
and fell into a profound stupor on the afternoon of the 3d of 
April. After remaining twenty-seven hours in that state, he 
breathed his last at seven o'clock on the evening of the 4th of 
April. His death has, we trust, proved his immense, his 
eternal gain." 

On the 22d of July, 1828, Messrs. Tyerman 
and Bennet reached the capital. The deeply 
afflictive and inscrutably mysterious events 
which almost immediately succeeded their ar- 
rival, afforded the deputation but just time to 
inquire into the state of affairs at the capital, 
before the mission family had the melancholy 
task of conveying to the tomb the remains of 
their excellent, amiable, and intelligent friend, 
the Rev. Daniel Tyerman. His death took 
place on the 30th of July, 1828. 

The health of Radama had, for more than a 
year previous to the month of July, 1828, been 
evidently declining, although, prior to that pe- 
riod, there had been little in his general ap- 
pearance to indicate an early termination to 
his valuable life. He had from youth pos- 



226 HISTORY OF 3IADAGASCAR. 

sessed a constitution, which, if not robust, was 
yet vigorous, and capable of enduring great 
exertion and fatigue. It is probable that his 
strength had been, in some degree, undermined 
by exposure to disease in the fever districts of 
Madagascar, as he had frequently visited, not 
only the eastern coast in the unhealthy season, 
but travelled in the north, and in the Sakalava 
countries, where natives from the interior are 
not less liable to disease than Europeans. 

As the spring of 1828 advanced, Radama 
evidently became more feeble, and the pro- 
gress of disease was more obvious. During 
the months of May and June, many fears were 
entertained as to the fatal termination of his 
disorder; and these fears were confirmed, 
rather than alleviated, by the studied conceal- 
ment observed in those who were known to 
be acquainted with the facts of the case. It 
was publicly known that the king was unwell, 
but the only specific report was, that he suf- 
fered from a severe catarrh, attended with 
sore throat. 

He had always manifested great concern for 
the advancement of education, but was unable 
to attend the examination of the schools. His 
majesty had frequently expressed a lively in- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 227 

terest in the arrival of Messrs. Tyerman and 
Bennet, on a visit to himself and the mission 
at his capital ; but when they reached Tana- 
narivo, he was too ill to be able to receive 
them. Mr. Jones had one interview with him 
after that time, but could scarcely recognise 
his features, or comprehend the few expres- 
sions which with great difficulty he uttered. 
In the course of two days from the time of this 
interview, Radama breathed his last. This 
melancholy event took place on the afternoon 
of July 27th, 1828. 

The circumstance, however, was studiously 
concealed from public notice, intimations be- 
ing given that the king was improving, and 
the royal band continuing to play every after- 
noon in the court-yard, for the purpose of 
quieting all suspicions. 

On Tuesday the 29th, a public kabary was 
held for administering the oath of fidelity "/o 
whomsoever the king might be pleased to ap- 
point as his successor in the government ;^^ 
statements being made at the time, that the 
king had wished this measure to be adopted 
in consequence of his increased illness. It was 
a day of deep interest. Much, indeed, seemed 
to depend upon the nomination of the successor, 



228 HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 

not only as a tneasure connected with the in- 
ternal peace of the country, but with the pro- 
secution or abandonment of all those plans 
originated by Radama for the improvement 
of the condition of his people. Nor were the 
members of the mission amongst those who 
were least interested in a decision so Ukely to 
influence the whole of their future labours, and 
even their continuance in that country. 

The utmost order and tranquillity were pre- 
served in the town, yet it was not difiicult to 
discover, beyond this, a deep but silent emo- 
tion, universally pervading all ranks of i$o- 
ciety ; an inward and suppressed agitation in 
every bosom, anxiously awaiting the time 
when it might be permitted to find expression. 

At this critical juncture, Robert Lyall, Esq., 
the successor of Mr. Hastie as British agent, 
arrived at the capital. On his way he received 
tidings of the illness of Radama, and hastened 
with all possible despatch to the capital, but 
did not arrive until the 1st of August, when 
the king's death had actually taken place, al- 
though the fact had not been announced to the 
people. 

On the morning of the 1st of August, the 
great question was decided. By break of day. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 229 

the shouts of an immense body of people were 
heard, even at a great distance from the court- 
yard, indicating that some important measure 
had been adopted; and it was immediately 
afterwards rumoured that the queen Ranava- 
lona had been placed on the throne. The first 
official intimation of the demise of Radama, 
conveyed to the Europeans at the capital, and, 
of course, to the members of the mission, was 
involved in the message sent to them from the 
new sovereign, which they received at a mo- 
ment of deep interest, while attending the 
funeral of their departed guest and friend, the 
Rev. D. Tyerman. 

Orders having been issued for a general 
kabary 16 be held at the capital on the 3d of 
August, immense crowds of natives flocked to 
Tananarivo from all^parts of the surrounding 
(X)untry to the distance of many miles. So 
vast was the influx of people, that a gentleman 
then present, and lately arrived from India, 
remarked, that he could compare it only with 
the multitudes collected there at the festivals 
of Juggernaut. Almost every eligible spot of 
ground in the vicinity of the capital was occu- 
pied by people from the country, who pitched 
their tents, or erected temporary sheds for the 
20 



230 HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 

occasion. This concourse lasted from the great 
kabary, on the 3d, until the 1 3th, the day after 
the funeral. 

On the 3d of August the official proclama- 
tion was made that the king had "retired^^ — 
^^had gone to his fathers,^' and that the suc- 
cessor, appointed by his father, was Ranava- 
lona, previously known as the senior wife of 
Radama. Directions were also published, re- 
specting the ceremonies to be used in honour 
of the deceased monarch, and as demonstra- 
tions of the public grief. 

A particular account of the funeral cere- 
monies has been already given in Chap. IV. 



HISTORT OF MADAGASCAR. 231 



CHAPTER X. 

Effect of Radama's death on the state of the mission — Conduct 
of the Queen towards Mr. Bennet — Murder of Prince 
Rataffe — ^Natives sent to England and Mauritius for instruc- 
tion in the arts, music, &c. — Arrival of Mr. Baker and Mr. 
Lyall — Reviewing of the schools after the pubUc mourning 
— Altered poUcy of the government — Mr. Lyall dismissed — 
Discouraging state of the mission — Departure of Mr. Free- 
man and family — Their trials on the journey — Efforts to 
restore the influence of idolatry — Continued attention of the 
people to religious instruction — Beneficial effects of the la- 
bours of the artisans — Paul the diviner — Persecution of the 
native Christians — Native church organized — Mr. and Mrs« 
Freeman, and Mr. and Mrs. Atkinson, arrive — Required to 
leave — Notice of a slave convert. 

With the death of the king, the whole as- 
pect of missionary affairs was changed at the 
capital of Madagascar ; yet, while a deep in- 
terest, and anxiety perhaps beyond the power 
of words to describe, affected the minds of 
those who had engaged in the work of diffus- 
ing the blessings of Christianity amongst the 
people, such was the delicacy, and even dan- 
ger, of their situation at this period, that they 



i$M HISTOKT OF MAJDA^A^AR. 

scarcely ventured to transmit to their friends 
any circumstantial account of their real situa- 
tion^ The peculiar trials and painful appre- 
hensions with which it was attended, rendered 
such accounts, if not impracticable, yet highly 
inexpedient Thus it occurs, that of the period 
when the deepest feeling has prevailed, the 
slightest record has been preserved. 

It is stated by Mr. Freeman, that the great 
public kabary, already described, at which 
fiftnavalona was proclaimed queen, with the 
^slate of the town during the following week or 
ten days, rendered it inexpedient for the mis- 
sionaries and their friends to assemble for 
public worship, until after the funeral of his 
majesty, on tiie 12th of August. A funeral 
discourse was then preached in English, at the 
chapel, by Rev. J. J. Freeman, from 2 Samuel, 
xxiii. 5. No public service could be held in 
the native language, on account of the national 
customs connected with the mourning on the 
death of the sovereign. 

The suspension of all public duties and ser- 
vices during the mourning, and especially dur- 
ing the early part of it, was extended to all 
the schools, whether in town or country ; in 
consequence of this, it appeared that nothing 



more coald be done by Mr. Benoet in the in- 
vestigation of that department of the Mada^ 
gaicar mission. He was able^ however^ to 
hold several meetings with the misMonaries^ 
for the arrangement of business relating to 
th^iir affairs — an object to which Mr. Tyerman 
tiad been able to attend for three evenings 
prior to his deceoMC. These engagements 
drawinc; to a ^Jov;, a request was presented by 
Mr. Bennct, that hn might be permitted trj 
have an intervi^iw with h^r majesty. But this 
was declined, on the g^round of its being con- 
trary to the customs of the cotmtry^ which re- 
quired that a new sovereign should appear in 
public to the natives, before receiving a vi^it 
from a foreigner. 

As it appeared that no further benefit could 
be secured to the mission by the sojourn of 
Mr. Bennet at the capital^ be was desirous of 
proceeding to the coast on his way to Mauri- 
tius, and for this purpose^ the usual application 
was made to the Malagasy government Her 
majesty repliexl ihat she wa$ the $cn)ereiffn of 
fJ(f: ti/raf ofhu departure. 

On the morning after the imicAdX of Ra- 
darna, however, h<i f^;c^::ived a message to this 
purport; — ^*I Ujld you, that when the time 
20* 



234 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

came that you should go to Tamatave, I should 
inform you. I shall send seven hundred sol- 
diers to Tamatave : they set out to-morrow, 
and they will guard you.'^ With great diiR- 
culty leave was obtained for Mr. Griffiths, one 
of the missionaries, to accompany Mr. Bennet 
to the coast, and then it was only on condition 
that he should leave his wife and children be- 
hind, and promise not to quit Madagascar. 
Mr. and Mrs. Cummings being also desirous 
of avaiUng themselves of an opportunity of 
going to Mauritius, were permitted to leave 
the island, and the party accordingly set out 
for the coast at the time appointed by the 
queen. 

"About the middle of our journey,'' says 
Mr. Bennet, " we learned that Prince RatafTe 
and his wife, (the nearest in blood to the late 
king, the latter being Radama's eldest sister,) 
were in the village on their way to the me- 
tropolis, whither they had been summoned by 
the new government. We saw, at once, that 
they were Agoing into the tiger's mouth.' 
They came to dine with us, and food was in- 
deed many hours before us, but none touched 
a morsel. The interview was painful, and at- 
tended with peril to all. They felt that their 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 235 

death-warrant was sealed; and when they 
heard that their hopeful but unfortunate son 
had been slain, to paint the agony expressed 
in their countenances is beyond the power of 
language ; and, as no words can describe it, so 
no time can erase the picture from my recol- 
lection. They asked advice ; but what advice 
could we offer ? They proposed to escape to 
the coast, in the hope of finding some vessel to 
carry them to Mauritius. I assured them that 
the governor would give them protection till 
an arrangement could be made for their safe 
return to Madagascar. The prince, at part- 
ing, presented me with his silk lamba, or man- 
tle, desiring that I would remember them.^^ 

The son of Rataffe was among the most 
nearly related to Radama ; he was heir-appa- 
rent to the throne, and it was alwajT-s under- 
stood to be the wish of the king that he should 
be his successor. He was friendly to the edu- 
cation of the people, and the promotion of 
European arts. There were also evidences 
that his mind had been enlightened and his 
heart changed by the power of divine grace ; 
and this, perhaps, was one of the causes why 
he was destroyed. Rataffe and his princess, 
knowing their own doom inevitable, if they 



236 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

could not escape the murderers of their child, 
made their way to the coast, and endeavoured 
to prevail on the master of a vessel trading 
between Madagascar and the Isle of France 
with bullocks, to remove them from the island^ 
but were unsuccessful. Mammon completed 
what malignant cruelty had devised. A ship 
for Mauritius was found on the coast; any 
sum was offered for a passage for the unhappy 
prince and princess. Its certain payment was 
guaranteed by an English gentleman of high 
respectability, but the mercenary and unfeeling 
captain was deaf to all the entreaties of the 
prince and his friends. A passage was obsti- 
nately refused ; the hard-hearted shipmaster 
alleging, that if he favoured the escape of the 
prince, his interest would suffer in future, and 
the authorities on the coast would not allow 
him to obtain a cargo whenever he might re- 
turn. 

The unhappy fugitives then sought conceal- 
ment in the woods ; there, while sleeping in a 
small hut, overcome with exhaustion and fa- 
tigue, it is said the royal blood-hounds searched 
them out. Rataffe was seized, and brought a 
prisoner to the neighbourhood of the capital. 
In his absence, a mock trial was instituted, 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 237 

that the sacred name of justice might be basely 
desecrated, to give pretended sanction to as- 
sassination, and a public court of military and 
civil judges declared him guilty of disloyalty. 
Within four hours after this declaration of his 
guilt, the unhappy prince was led forth from 
the building in which he had been confined, 
to an adjacent field, where his hands were ig- 
nominiously tied behind him, and a spear 
thrust through his heart. He was buried on 
the spot ; and the amiable princess, his wife, 
was shortly afterwards banished, and subse- 
quently assassinated by spearing. 

Thus perished, on the 6th of October, 1828, 
Prince Rataffe, the head of one of the noblest 
families of Madagascar, and thus was sacri- 
ficed to jealousy and cruelty his amiable wife, 
Radama's eldest sister. Their only crime was, 
that they were the immediate descendants of 
the ancestors of Radama, and were favourable 
to the education 'and improvement of the peo- 
ple. 

Of the nine Malagasy youths who accom- 
panied Prince Rataffe to England in 1821, two 
died in England, one returned soon after to 
his own country; the rest at different periods. 
Two of them gave evidence of piety, and of 



238 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

these one was baptized and made a public 
profession of the Christian religion in Surrey 
chapel, London. 

Besides these, ten youths were also sent to 
Mauritius to be educated as carpenters, gold and 
silversmiths, smiths, painters, and shoemakers. 
Ten others were afterwards sent to be taught 
the same arts, and an additional number to be 
taught instrumental music, so as to form a 
band for his majesty after the European mo- 
del. About fifty others were also placed on 
English vessels to be instructed in navigation. 

In 1828, Mr. Baker, sent out by the London 
Missionary Society, to superintend the print- 
ing, and Mr. Robert Lyall, appointed by the 
British government as the successor of Mr. 
Hastie, arrived at the capital. 

The customs of Madagascar requiring a 
total cessation from all ordinary labours and 
amusements during the period of general 
mourning for Radama, the people were not 
allowed to engage in any occupation. An 
exception was, by a special edict, made in fa- 
vour of the culture of rice, in order to avert a 
famine ; but as attendance at the schools had 
been classed among the amusements, they also 
were discontinued. Radama had allowed a 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 239 

number of youths to assist in the printing, and 
also in the transcribing for the use of schools ; 
application was made that these might work 
during the season of mourning ; and as the 
government decided that transcribing was 
neither learning nor teaching, the youths were 
permitted to aid both in transcribing and 
printing. 

Deprived of all public means of usefulness, 
the missionaries directed their united efforts, 
duringthe remainder of the year, to the prepara- 
tion of elementary and other useful books, and 
the translation of portions of the Holy Scrip- 
tures into the native language, more particu- 
larly the New Testament, a work in which 
they had long been anxious to engage, and to 
which, ever since the year 1823, considerable 
attention had already been given. While the 
missionaries were thus employed, Mr. Baker 
kept the press in active and efficient operation, 
and a larger supply of books was thereby pro- 
vided than the mission ever before possessed. 

These labours occupied the missionaries 
during the remainder of the year, being the 
only engagements connected with their object, 
which the superstitions of the people allowed 
them to pursue. Twelve months was the 



240 HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 

usual duration of public mourning on the death 
of a sovereign, but towards the end of Decern-- 
ber, six months only after the death of Ra- 
dama, the government deemed it expedient so 
far to dispense with the customary obser- 
vances, as to allow, or rather order, the schools 
to be opened, and the work of education to be 
resumed, though on a scale less extensive than 
formerlyj when nearly one hundred schools 
had been established, and between four and 
five thousand scholars instructed. Even this 
proceeding, favourable as it may appear, seems 
to have been adopted with a view of meeting 
existing, and providing for the future exigen- 
cies of the government, rather than from any 
regard to the improvement of the people : for 
scarcely had the schools been assembled, than 
an augmentation of the military forces of the 
government was resolved upon, and about 
seven hundred of the native teachers and 
senior scholars were drawn from the schools 
to serve as recruits for the army. This pro- 
ceeding of government naturally increased the 
apprehensions of the people, as to the ultimate 
designs with which the schools had been es- 
tablished, and made them less willing than 
ever to send their children for instruction. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 241 

The prohibition of the schools in the villages 
where the national idols were kept, indicated 
also the influence of the idolatrous parties in 
the government, and operated unfavourably for 
the cause of education among an ignorant and 
servile people, ruled by superstitious fear and 
military despotism. Under these circumstances, 
it is not surprising, that from the time of Ra- 
dama's death the cause of education had been 
rapidly declining ; and although the queen had 
ordered that the scholars should resume their 
studies, and the school-houses be thoroughly 
repaired, there were not, at the close of 1829, 
half the number under instruction, that there 
had been eighteen months before. 

Ranavalona, on ascending the throne, sent 
a message to the missionaries, and the fo- 
reigners residing at the capital, assuring them 
of her intention to govern the kingdom upon 
the principles adopted by Radama, to carry 
forward the great plans of education and pub- 
lic improvement which he had commenced, 
and to continue all the encouragement he had 
shown them ; the queen had also solemnly re- 
peated this on receiving the oath of allegiance 
from the people ; yet it soon became evident 
that thes^ professions were not to be depended 
21 



242 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

upon; that the queen was either insincere 
when she made them, or, which is equally pro- 
bable, that the counsellors of another line of 
policy had gained the ascendency in the go- 
vernment. This was very clearly shown by 
the first public act of the government, which 
was to annul Radama's treaty with the Eng- 
lish. In November, 1828, Mr. Lyall was in- 
formed by the queen that she did not feel her- 
self bound by the treaty of Radama, and that 
she would not receive him as the agent of the 
British government. He was soon after dis- 
missed in an insulting manner. 

The discontinuance of all encouragement to 
education — the evidently unfavourable views 
with which the chief objects of the mission 
were regarded by the principal officers of the 
queen's government — the measures taken by 
them to impede the labours of the missionaries, 
and to restore the domination of their idols and 
charms throughout the land — the circum- 
scribed limits within which the labours of the 
missionaries were now confined — and the un- 
settled state of the country, had, ever since the 
death of the king, brought the missionaries into 
circumstances painfully contrasting with those 
under which, during the reign of Radama, 



HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 243 

Ihey had pursued their labours. Influenced 
by the position of affairs, the absence of every 
prospect of more extensive usefulness, and ap- 
prehending changes still more unfavourable, 
Mr. Freeman, in the autumn of 1829, deemed 
it his duty to leave Madagascar, at least for a 
season, and proceed to Mauritius. With this 
view, accompanied by Mrs. Freeman and their 
two children, Mr. Freeman took leave of his 
friends and fellow-labourers at the capital,, on 
the 30th of September, and commenced his 
journey towards the coast. 

The journey was one of extreme fatigue, 
vexation, disaster, and peril. About a fort- 
night after leaving the capital, the bearers em- 
ployed to carry the missionary, his family, and 
luggage, fled without a moment^s warning, 
having been alarmed by intelligence of the 
attack of the French on the town of Tamatave, 
and the retreat of Prince CorroUer and the na- 
tive troops. After a fortnight of very distress- 
ing anxiety and alarm, spent in moving from 
one village to another, as reports of the ad- 
vance or retreat of the French were received, 
and the almost utter impossibility of obtaining 
bearers to carry them forward, they moved on 
towards the coast, and at length reached Ta- 



244 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

matave on the evening of the 29th of October. 
Here, though every place bore the aspect of 
desolation, Mr. Freeman was thankful to find 
a small vessel, called the Radama, employed 
in trading between Madagascar and Mauri- 
tius ; and although the captain, taking advan- 
tage of his circumstances, demanded an exor- 
bitant sum for his passage, he deemed it his 
duty to leave the island by the means of safety 
thus provided. On the morning of the 31st 
of October, the report of distant cannon in a 
northerly direction was distinctly heard, and 
was supposed to be the attack of the French 
upon Foule Point. On the following day, Mr 
F. and his family embarked on board the Ra- 
dama, then at anchor in the roads. On the 
evening of the 3d of November, his infant son, 
who had taken the fever on approaching the 
coast, and had been gradually sinking under 
its influence, silently expired. This new trial, 
in itself deeply afiiicting to the sorrowing pa- 
rents, was rendered more distressing by their 
peculiar circumstances. A rough coffin was 
prepared by the carpenter on-board the ship, 
and an opportunity sought to convey the 
corpse to the shore. This was attempted in 
the afternoon of the same day, when a landing 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 245 

was effected, without molestation either from 
the French or those parties of natives who, . 
taking advantage of the state of the town and 
neighbourhood, addicted themselves to outrage 
and plunder. 

It was the earnest wish of Mr. Freeman to 
bury his child near the spot where the remains 
of the first mission families had been interred, 
but it was not deemed prudent to venture so 
far from the beach. A retired spot, overgrown 
with trees and brushwood, near one extremity 
of the bay, was therefore selected ; and here 
two seamen dug the infant's grave, and the 
afflicted father, after bowing in agony of spirit 
before the Father of mercies, and asking di- 
vine consolation and support, deposited the 
remains of his beloved child in the earth, while 
the captain and the first officer of the ship, 
each armed with a loaded musket, kept watch 
against surprise or assault. On the 5th of 
November, the embassy from the queen ar- 
rived at Tamatave, and proceeded to the north 
in search of the French. At daybreak on the 
following morning, the Radama got under 
way, and the missionary and his mourning 
family proceeded to Mauritius, to remain for 
21* 



246 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

a short time, and then embark for the Cape 
of Good Hope. 

The power of the idols was now acknow- 
ledged as supreme in almost every transaction; 
public offerings, and acts of homage to the 
idols, were multipUed in the capital ; and the 
movements of the government, in many of their 
minute details, were regulated by the pre- 
tended orders of the sikidy, or divination; and 
the use of the tangena, or trial by poison, was re- 
stored with most destructive consequences. A 
number of the civil and military officers were 
required to drink the poison at the capital; 
and a general purification of the country, by 
the same ordeal, was enjoined. Under the 
latter, many hundreds, if not thousands, of the 
Malagasy, are supposed to have been sacri- 
ficed. 

While the determination of the government 
to promote the power of superstition over the 
minds of the people was thus painfully mani- 
fested, a more friendly disposition was shown 
towards the missionaries, but without the 
slightest indication that the chief objects of the 
mission were in any respect more favourably 
regarded, though the rulers of the country be- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 247 

came increasingly sensible of the value of the 
labours of the missionary artisans. 

It was, however, grateful to the mission- 
aries, that by means of some members of the 
government favourable to their objects, they 
were allowed to pursue w^ithout interruption 
their important labours. A small addition 
was made to the number of scholars, and the 
missionary had full liberty to teach, preach, 
and carry forward the great work of trans- 
lating the Scriptures, and preparing other 
Christian books. 

Feeling the extremely frail tenure by which 
they held their means of doing good, and un- 
certain how long they might be permitted even 
to continue in the country, the missionaries 
directed much of their attention to the print- 
ing, that every possible provision might be 
made for the wants of the people, should 
events occur still more unfavourable to the 
progress of their work. In the month of 
March, 1830, they had the satisfaction of com- 
pleting an edition of five thousand copies of 
the New Testament in the Malagasy language. 
They had already one thousand copies of dif- 
ferent tracts, and a small system of arithmetic 
for the use of the schools, fifteen hundred 



248 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

copies of a catechism, and two thousand spell- 
ing-books. They had also four hundred 
copies of the entire New Testament, upwards 
of two thousand copies of single gospels, and 
a number of catechisms and spelling-books. 

Discouraged as the missionaries were by the 
unfavourable circumstances of the people, 
they had the satisfaction of beholding, during 
a large part of the year, greater attention on 
the part of those who attended public worship, 
and of putting into circulation many portions 
of the New Testament and other books. These 
were read not only by the people of Imerina, 
but by numbers in distant provinces, who had 
formerly been pupils in the mission schools. 
It was also proposed about this time, to com- 
mence, with the aid of the natives, the compila- 
tion of dictionaries in the English and Malagasy 
languages, for the benefit of the natives and 
their teachers. The missionaries were also 
cheered by indications not a few, that their la- 
bours, and the books they had circulated, had, 
under the Divine blessing, been the means of 
decisive spiritual benefit to many who had re- 
ceived them. After noticing, in a communi- 
cation dated July 1st, 1830, several instances 
of usefulness, Mr. Baker thus writes : — 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 249 ' 

"The above statements supply facts among the most cheer- 
ing, perhaps, of any to be discovered in the present state of our 
mission. They prove that some, in this land of heathen dark- 
ness, may, and do manifest a love to the word of God. They 
show that such a sentiment may spread from one to another, 
aided by the means already in operation, without the interven- 
ing aid of ourselves, and therefore, they forbid us to entertain 
despondency. Never have I observed, so much as now, the 
great effect already produced by the gospel here. Conversa- 
tion among the natives on the subject of religion is frequent, 
and the preached gospel reaches, with an impressive force, the 
consciences of some of the people. There is certainly no in- 
ducement for us to slacken in our exertions, but on the con- 
trary, to labour while it is called to-day. We have under our 
superintendence, not fewer than two thousand five hundred 
children, and with this charge, it behooves us to feel our per- 
sonal responsibility. * Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do 
it with all thy might.' " ^ 

It was under these circumstances that Mr. 
Jones, the senior missionary, the pioneer of 
missionary labour in Madagascar, felt himself 
necessitated, by long-continued illness, to seek, 
in a return for a season to his native land, the 
restoration of health, which had been greatly 
impaired by the influence of the climate, and 
the hardships and trials connected with the 
establishment of the mission. On his taking 
leave, the deepest regret was manifested by 
the missionaries, several members of the go- 
vernment, and many of the people. From the 



250 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

queen he received a letter, testifying her high 
sense of his character, and the vaUie of his la- 
bours, and giving him permission, should his 
health permit, to return, and pursue the great 
objects of his mission. Several marks of re- 
spect were given by the government to Mr. 
Jones, on his leaving the country. A salute 
was fired when he set out from the capital ; 
and besides the letter from the queen, a guard 
of twenty men accompanied him to the coast. 

The encouragement which the missionaries 
received from the authorities in the latter part 
of 1830, was rather increased during the early 
part of the following year, and important pri- 
vileges were obtained for those among the na- 
tives who were inclined to profess their faith 
in Christ. 

The exertions of the press were continued 
with unabated vigour ; and though chiefly en- 
gaged in printing separate books of the Old 
Testament, an edition of four thousand spell- 
ing-books, and other useful publications, were 
furnished for the people. In their immediate 
labours for the spiritual benefit of the people, 
the missionaries had for several months wit- 
nessed a degree of attention and earnestness, 
on the part of the hearers, far surpassing any 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 251 

that had before existed. The chapel in which 
Mr. Griffiths preached, was filled every Lord's 
day, and many could not gain admittance ; 
considerable numbers appeared deeply im- 
pressed with the importance and necessity of 
personal religion, and flocked to the houses of 
the missionaries, to be instructed more fully in 
the great doctrines of the gospel. These in- 
dividuals gave, at the same time, by the purity 
and consistency of their own deportment, and 
their aflectionate earnestness to induce others 
to seek the blessings of salvation, the most sa- 
tisfactory evidence of their sincerity and de- 
votedness to the Saviour. 

In order to provide more adequate means 
of instruction for the increasing numbers who 
now appeared to be earnestly seeking it, a 
substantial and commodious chapel was erect- 
ed at Ambatonakanga, in the northern suburbs 
of the capital. 

The chapel was opened for public worship 
on the 5th of June, 1831, and was regularly 
attended by a numerous and devout assembly, 
who received with seriousness and attention 
the instructions of Mr. Johns, who now la- 
boured at this station. 

The efforts of the artisans were at this time 



252 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 




Chapel at Ambatonakanga. 

highly prized by the government. Under Mr. 
Cameron alone, who was engaged in the con- 
struction of machinery, and other public works, 
nearly six hundred youths were constantly 
employed. Mr. Cameron, while instructing 
them in useful mechanic arts, paid the most 
persevering attention to their moral and spi- 
ritual improvement, and encouraged their re- 
gular attendance at the adjacent and newly- 
erected place of worship, towards the building 
of which the government, as well as Mr. 
Cameron, and many friends at the capital 
and elsewhere, had contributed. Early in 
September, a suitable room, in the centre of 
the capital, was engaged for public worship ; 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 253 

where the missionaries, assisted by devoted 
and pious native preachers, dispensed instruc- 
tion to the people. 

As Mr. Canham was not fully occupied in 
the secular pursuits to which he at first di- 
rected his attention, much of his time was now 
occupied in preaching and teaching at Ambo- 
himandroso, where, there is reason to believe^ 
his efibrts were acceptable and useful to many 
of the people. 

The exertions of the missionaries had been 
rendered effectual, not only in arousing the at- 
tention of multitudes to the great truths of the 
gospel, but, as they had reason to believe, in 
producing a decisive change in the hearts of a 
number of those who attended their ministra- 
tions. After much instruction by the mission- 
aries, and repeated inquiries from the natives, 
respecting the public profession of Christ by 
baptism, several of the latter expressed them- 
selves desirous thus to testify their attachment 
to the Lord. The missionaries considering 
them sincere, and in other respects suitable 
subjects to receive the rite, admitted their ap- 
plications with thankfulness and joy. Endea- 
vours were then made to ascertain whether 
the government would renew the permission 
22 



254 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

that had been given by Radama, for any of 
the natives who chose, ta observe the reUgious 
customs of the missionaries ; and the queen 
sent a message, by some of the principal offi- 
cers, which was deUvered in the chapel on the 
22d of May, 1831, to the effect '^hat her ma- 
jesty does not change the words of the late 
king ; all that wish are at liberty to be bap- 
tized, commemorate the death of Christ, or 
marry, according to the manners of Europe- 
ans. No blame is to be attached to any for 
doing it, or not doing it.'^ 

Considering the absolute power of the sove- 
reign, the increasing military character which 
the government had assumed, and the zealous 
and persevering efforts of many of the highest 
officers to restore the power of the idols, the 
missionaries regarded the full toleration of 
Christianity by a government avowedly hea- 
then, and the granting of religious liberty, thus 
publicly confirmed, as one of the most import- 
ant benefits secured to the native Christians^ 
and to the cause of moral and religious im- 
provement, since the death of Radama. 

On the following Sabbath, the 29th of May, 
1831, twenty of the first converts to Christ in 
Madagascar were publicly baptized by Mr. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 255 

Griffiths, in the mission chapel, before a nu* 
merous, highly interested, and deeply affected 
audience. On the following Sabbath, June 
5th, eight individuals were baptized by Mr. 
Johns in the newly-erected chapel at Amba- 
tonakanga ; six of these were young men, who 
had long been under Christian instruction as 
scholars, and were subsequently employed as 
assistants to the missionaries in teaching, and 
other departments of their work. 

The remaining two were a man and his 
wife, whose inteUigence, piety, and kind and ge- 
nerous efforts for the spiritual welfare of their 
countrymen, had long afforded the mission- 
aries cause for devout thanksgiving on their 
behalf. The man had passed the meridian of 
life ; he had spent his days in the service of 
the idols, and the practice of delusive jugglery 
as a diviner, a supposed revealer of destiny, 
and a guide in all important affairs. He pos- 
sessed great influence among the people, and 
had derived no inconsiderable emolument from 
the practice of his art. Early in the year 1830, 
a young man, earnestly seeking the way of 
salvation, who was on terms of friendship 
with the diviner, spoke to him on the sinful- 
ness and danger of continuing the practice of 



256 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

divination, and neglecting the words of true 
inspiration, which the missionaries had brought 
to their country. He received with favoura- 
ble attention the remarks of his young friend, 
and after being repeatedly persuaded, went 
himself to hear the preaching of the mission- 
aries. The new, and, to him, strange doctrines 
which they taught, filled his mind with reve- 
rence and wonder ; and the Lord was pleased, 
there is reason to conclude, to impress the truth 
with divine power on his conscience and his 
heart. Soon after this, he publicly destroyed 
all his charms, and other emblems of super- 
stition and instruments of divination, with the 
exception of one or two, which, as pledges of 
his sincerity, he delivered to the missionaries, 
who sent them to England. In order to be 
able to read for himself the New Testament, 
he took his place among the scholars at the 
school, commenced with the alphabet, and 
continued his endeavours without relaxation, 
until he was able to read, with correctness and 
facility, that word which he esteemed " more 
precious than gold, yea, than much fine gold,'^ 
and ^'able to make wise unto salvation, through 
faith which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." His 
wife seemed equally to partake of that divine 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 257 

mercy which had wrought this pleasing change 
in her husband : both appeared heirs together 
of the grace of eternal life, and had walked for 
a period of twelve months in the ordinances 
and commandments of the Lord blameless. 
The missionaries, therefore, had much satisfac- 
tion in receiving these two individuals among 
the first-fruits of Madagascar unto Christ. 

At the time of receiving the rite of baptism, 
the native Christians had been accustomed to 
take some name, by which they were after- 
wards called ; Paul was that selected by the 
individual now referred to, and in the subse- 
quent communications of the missionaries, he 
is frequently referred to as Paul the diviner. 
In this instance, as in the South Sea Islands, and 
in other parts of the world, to which the know- 
ledge of Christian faith has been introduced 
by missionary efforts, some of the most able 
and active supporters of delusion and idolatry 
have been among the first to experience the 
regenerating power of the gospel, and to ex- 
emplify its transforming and salutary influ- 
ence. 

Paul and his wife were not only examples 
of whatsoever things are pure and lovely, and 
of good report, but zealous, active, and perse- 



258 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

vering in their endeavours to bring others 
under instruction in the truth. In two others, 
though less conspicuous on account of charac- 
ter and pursuits, the evidence of an entire 
change of heart, effected by Divine agency, 
was not less satisfactory ; while the fruits of 
righteousness were equally abundant and 
cheering. In illustration of the views and 
feelings with which the native converts sought 
the privilege of Christian fellowship, the fol- 
lowing letter, from one of the applicants for 
baptism, on the occasion above referred to, is 
given. It was addressed to Mr. Johns, and is 
dated May 30th, 1831. 

" May you, Sir, live long, and never be ill, saith your son 
R — . This is what I have to say to you, viz. : — That I rejoiced 
much when I heard the word of the queen, (the permission to 
be baptized, &c.) so that the way is now free to receive bap- 
tism, and to commemorate the death of Christ. I am truly 
very glad to find there is nothing now to prevent or hinder any 
at all who has examined and tried himself: therefore, it is my 
wish to be a partaker of these. I devote myself, both soul and 
body, to Jesus, that I may serve him in all things, according to 
hi^ will ; and I pray to God, in this giving myself to Jesus, to 
assist me by his Holy Spirit, that I may love Jesus with all 
my heart, with all my spirit, with all my strength, and that I 
may not be made to stand any longer in doubt by any thing 
whatsoever. Having thus given myself up to Jesus, both soul 
and body, I now ask permission of you to join the church, and 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 259 

unite in commemorating the death of Jesus ; and that I may 
also join you to sing and to praise, and to give glory to God as 
long as I shall live. And nov^r, after this, pray for me unto 
God, that I may be assisted to fulfil what I have said, and serve 
Jesus faithfully all my days here on earth. I myself pray unto 
God to assist me by his Holy Spirit to fulfil my vows, that I 
may serve Jesus even until I die," " Saith R — ." 

The attention of the people^ to the subjects 
urged upon their consideration by the mission- 
aries, which had been increasing during the 
whole of the year, appeared to be greatly pro- 
moted by the first administration of baptism, 
and the formation of a Christian church. 
Numbers expressed their desire to unite with 
the Christians, by pubUcly professing their 
faith in the Saviour; and much of the time of 
the missionaries was now occupied in convers- 
ing with inquirers, and instructing more fully 
those who were seeking to be numbered 
among the people of God. Special times were 
appointed for meeting with those who were 
desirous of giving themselves to the Lord, ex- 
amining their views, and admonishing, direct- 
ing, or encouraging them, as might be most 
requisite. The meetings were usually attended 
by from forty to fifty individuals, including 
several of rank and influence, who held high 
and responsible stations under the government. 



260 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

In these important duties, the missionaries de- 
rived much valuable assistance from the judi- 
cious efforts and exemplary conduct of several 
natives, who had already united themselves 
with them in Christian fellowship. 

The public abandonment of the superstitions 
of the country, and the adoption of the Chris- 
tian faith by numbers of the people, together 
with the earnestness of the latter to bring 
others under religious instruction, exposed 
them, as might be expected, to many instances 
of petty annoyance and persecution. Con- 
temptuous epithets were frequently applied by 
the heathens to the Christians, when the latter 
appeared in any of the places of public resort ; 
and, in some instances, the enmity of the hea- 
then members of a family against those who 
had embraced the gospel, produced more 
serious trials ; but they were borne with meek- 
ness and gentleness, and ultimately favoured 
the progress of the gospel among the people. 
The Christians, while they patiently endured 
any slight annoyances from the heathen, per- 
severed in the use of every suitable means for 
promoting their own spiritual improvement, 
and bringing others to attend to those impress- 
ive facts and glorious truths, which now ap 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 261 

peared to themselves of such transcendent 
importance. With this view, besides the as- 
sembUes for pubUc wprship at the chapel, the 
Christians were accustomed to hold meetings 
at their own houses, during several evenings 
of the week, for reading the Scriptures, reli- 
gious conversation, singing, and prayer. Some- 
times the missionaries were present at these 
meetings, at other times they were attended 
by the native teachers. Through the Divine 
blessing on these and other means, the num- 
bers who appeared to be earnestly seeking re- 
ligious instruction, greatly increased ; and by 
the end of the year the members in one of the 
churches amounted to nearly seventy, while 
the other also had received large additions. 

The period now under review, though one 
of great spiritual prosperity, was also one of 
peculiar trial to the mission. Whether the 
government became alarmed at the rapidity 
with which the profession of Christianity was 
extending, or at the powerful influence which 
its principles exerted over those by whom they 
were professed; or whether the counsels of 
those in the government favourable to Chris- 
tianity, prevailed only for a short season, is 
not known ; but religious liberty had scarcely 



262 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

been puolicly guaranteed by the order of the 
sovereign, before it was indirectly, but effectu- 
ally, violated. Among those who were de- 
sirous of uniting themselves with the Chris- 
tians, were some who held important offices 
under the government, and others nearly allied 
to the royal family: six or eight of the latter 
were among the earliest applicants for bap- 
tism ; and the missionaries^ satisfied of their 
religious character, intimated their willingness 
to receive them into the church ; but on the 
day before that on which they were to make a 
public profession of the Christian faith, intima- 
tion of disapprobation in a high quarter was 
sent to them ; in consequence of which, though 
they continued to attend public worship, they 
did not deem it safe, at that time, to present 
themselves for baptism. 

Radama had, in the early part of his reign, 
established a law, prohibiting the use of wine 
or spirituous liquors in Imerina. This law 
had not been repealed, and — though an excep- 
tion was made in favour of Europeans, and it 
was by no means generally observed by the 
natives— advantage was now taken of it by 
the heathen party, to embarrass the Christians. 
With this view, after the first administration 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 263 

of the ordinance of the Lord's supper, a mes- 
sage was sent from the queen, declaring that 
it was contrary to the laws of the country for 
any native to drink wine, and that in future 
water alone must be used. Unable to obtain 
any relaxation of the law in favour of the 
communicants, the Christians had no alterna- 
tive but to use water instead of wine, or dis- 
pense entirely with the observance : they pre- 
ferred the former, and in this manner it was 
celebrated among them. 

There will, undoubtedly, be great difference 
of opinion among the readers of this account, 
as to the propriety of the course pursued by 
the missionaries on this trying occasion. They 
were, perhaps, too much influenced by the 
peculiar and local circumstances of the time, 
(which rendered it exceedingly undesirable to 
act in violation of the orders of the govern- 
ment,) or by indulging the hope of better days, 
to give up an ordinance so recently intro- 
duced. They are, however, entitled to, and 
will receive from all, credit for acting accord- 
ing to the best dictates of their judgment, after 
much deliberation and prayer, and in a man- 
ner which appeared to them best suited to 
promote the cause of Christ among the people. 



264 HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 

The party opposed to the gospel were not 
satisfied with this ; and on its being perceived 
that several belonging to the army, and others 
in the schools established by government, were 
already numbered with the Christians, mes- 
sages were sent to the scholars, who attended 
the schools by order of the government, and to 
all the soldiers, interdicting their receiving the 
rite of baptism, or joining the fellowship of the 
church. At the same time, those who had 
been admitted to communion were ordered to 
refrain from uniting in the ordinance in future. 
This order was sent in the name of the officers 
of the armjT-, and not of the queen ; but it was 
not to be resisted with impunity ; consequently, 
on the first communion Sabbath after it had ^ 
been issued, the soldiers belonging to the 
church, who were present, abstained from 
using the elements used on this occasion in 
commemorating the death of their divine Re- 
deemer : they remained in silence among their 
brethren, evidently under severe distress of 
mind. This was on the first Sabbath in No- 
vember, 1831; and since that time, no one in 
the army, or belonging to the schools esta- 
blished by the government, has been allowed 
to be baptized, or unite with the church. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 265 

In the instructions given to the people, they 
were taught that it was the duty of those who 
repented of their sins, and beUeved on the Lord 
Jesus Christ, pubUcly to profess their faith in 
him by baptism, and to commemorate his 
death by that ordinance which he had ap- 
pointed to be observed in remembrance of him. 
And after the first baptisms, which took place 
in the months of May and June among the 
congregations under the care of Messrs. Grif- 
fiths and Johns respectively, those who were 
baptized partook immediately afterwards of 
the ordinance of the Lord's supper. It was 
not, however, until the month of August, that, 
after mutual conference between the mission- 
ary and the people, and fervent prayers^ a 
y Christian church was organized in connexion 
with the congregation assembling at Ambo 
dinandohalo. On this interesting occasion, the 
believers present mutually giving and receiv- 
ing the right hand of fellowship, agreed to re- 
gard each other as brethren and sisters in 
Christ, to watch over each other in the Lord, 
and to promote each other^s comfort and spi- 
ritual improvement. A declaration of faith, 
and articles of agreement, were then approved, 
as the basis of their own union, and to be sub- 
23 



266 HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 

mitted to all who should desire to unite with 
them. The articles of faith were such as are 
believed by all who hold the great doctrines 
of salvation by the cross of Christ ; and the 
order of church government introduced, was 
not exactly accordant with that prevailing in 
any single denomination among us, devolving 
a larger amount of duty on the minister ex- 
clusively, than prevails among the Congrega- 
tional order, but less than attaches to that 
office among the Presbyterians or Episco- 
palians. The plan of cliurch government se- 
cured to the people the election of their own 
pastors, and the admission and rejection of 
members by the majority of the church alone. 
It was also recognised as the solemn duty of 
every member to endeavour, by all suitable 
and scriptural means, to promote the edifica- 
tion of the church, and the diffusion of the 
gospel to the utmost possible extent. 

The growing attention to religious instruc- 
tion, the increasing duties devolving upon the 
missionaries, and the cheering prospects of still 
more extensive usefulness in Madagascar, in- 
duced the brethren, early in the year, to invite 
Mr. Freeman, who had proceeded from Mau- 
ritius to the Cape of Good Hope, to return to 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 267 

their assistance. The native Christians also 
wrote to him, urging him to resume his labours 
among them, and the queen encouraged him 
to proceed again to the capital. Under these 
favourable circumstances, Mr. Freeman deemed 
it to be his duty to return again to the field, 
which, in 1829, he had felt himself compelled 
to leave. 

The change that had taken place in the 
state of religion among the people, equally- 
pleased and astonished Mr. Freeman, who ob- 
serves, that on beholding the new place of 
public worship which had been erected, the 
crowded and attentive audiences listening to 
the preaching of the gospel, the numbers who 
appeared to be sincere converts, the affection, 
harmony, love, and zeal prevailing among 
them ; their social meetings for prayer and re- 
ligious improvement; and the numbers de- 
sirous of joining themselves to the disciples, 
he could scarcely believe his own senses. 
Under circumstances thus auspicious, and en- 
couraged also by the friendly attention of the 
government, in aiding his return to the capital, 
Mr. Freeman resumed his important duties at 
Tananarive, indulging the pleasing anticipa- 
tions of enjoying still greater facilities for dif- 



268 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

fusing among the people the savour of the 
knowledge of Christ. 

Whatever ground for hope and more favour- 
able regard the friendly attentions of the go- 
vernment to Mr. Freeman and his companions 
might afford, they soon found that it was not 
to be ascribed to any willingness to allow the 
spread of Christianity among the people. No 
encouragement was given to education, except 
so far as it might furnish a supply of better 
qualified officers for the army, or servants for 
other departments of the government ; and 
even these, if, besides their knowledge of let- 
ters, they were favourable to Christianity, were 
regarded with suspicion, and placed only in 
subordinate offices. The order, prohibiting 
any of the soldiers or pupils in the government 
schools from receiving baptism or the Lord's 
supper, was by the close of the year extended 
to all other subjects of the queen ; no native 
was permitted thus publicly to make profession 
of his faith in Christ, and even those who had 
been received to the communion of the church 
were forbidden to unite with the missionaries 
in the celebration of the ordinance of the 
Lord's supper. 

Under their peculiar circumstances, the little 



HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 269 

band of native Christians, members of the 
churches under the care of Messrs. Griffiths, 
Johns, and Freeman, felt it their duty to com- 
ply with the orders of their heathen rulers; 
and on the sacramental occasions they endea- 
voured to commune in spirit with their Euro- 
pean brethren and sisters in the hallowed 
service, which was conducted in the native 
language. 

Ill the educational department, the efforts 
of the missionaries were also greatly impeded, 
but liberty to preach and print was still afford- 
ed ; and to these labours they were greatly 
encouraged by the increasing numbers who 
regularly attended their ministrations, and the 
decisive and salutary influence of the truth 
upon the minds of their hearers. The preach- 
ing of the gospel appeared to be attended with 
a divine influence, which seemed to produce 
an entire change in the views and character 
of those by whom it was received, and con- 
strained them to grateful and unremitting 
efforts for the spiritual good of their country- 
men. 

Mr. and Mrs. Atkinson, who had been la- 
bouring in South Africa, accompanied Mr. 
Freeman on his return to the capital, and ob- 
23* 



270 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

tained permission to remain one year in the 
country. Their skill in teaching, especially 
their knowledge of the infant-school system, 
induced the missionaries to hope that the go- 
vernment would allow them to remain — but 
they were mistaken ; several inquiries were 
made as to what they were able to teach, be- 
yond what was taught by the missionaries 
already in the country, and, among other in- 
quiries, it was asked if they were artists, and 
could paint portraits, and teach the art of paint- 
ing. When it was ascertained they could not 
teach any of the arts, or introduce any new 
manufactures, but, as the natives expressed it, 
only teach reading and writing, they evinced 
no desire for their continuance. On the 8th 
of June, the day after the public examination 
of the schools, a message was brought to the 
missionaries, in the name of the queen, to the 
eftect that, as the year which Mr. and Mrs. 
Atkinson had been allowed to remain in the 
country had nearly expired, they were to pre- 
pare for their return, and to take their depart- 
ure in five days. 

Though thus discouraged by the govern- 
ment, the missionaries were stimulated to every 
possible exertion, and greatly cheered in their 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 271 

labours, by the earnest desires of numbers of 
the people after instruction, and the solicitude 
shown by many to obtain books, and learn to 
read. To meet this demand, twenty-one thou- 
sand copies of small books, of different kinds, 
were printed in the course of the year. 

Other kinds of evidence that the great Head 
of the church was accomplishing his purposes 
of mercy by means of the mission, were also 
afforded, in the tranquil and happy deaths of 
several, who departed from this world under 
the cheering influence of a hope full of immor- 
tality. The following brief narrative, selected 
from amongst several of a similar kind, was 
communicated by Mr. Baker in the month of 
March, 1S32. The subject of the narrative 
was a young slave, of sluggish mind and indo- 
lent habits; the son of his master was a 
scholar, and this young slave was appointed 
to the duty of attending him at school. Here 
he, as well as a number of other slaves sent 
with their young masters, was taught by the 
missionaries to read the Scriptures. These, 
by the divine blessing, were the means of pro- 
ducing a delightful change in his entire cha- 
racter, to which Mr. Baker thus refers : 



272 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

" He was enabled to receive the gospel of Christ like a little 
child. He felt himself to be a lost sinner, and he found in 
Jesus Christ a Saviour just suited to him, and he believed on 
him ; rejoicing that he had died to save sinners, and was able 
to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by him. 

" While religion thus wonderfully improved his intellectual 
and moral character, it imparted new vigour to all his actions 
and habits. He became increasingly active and diligent as a 
servant. His mind seemed to expand, and his faculties ap- 
peared enlivened by the new views which Christianity gave of 
the relation in which he stood towards the great Creator and 
Preserver of the universe. 

" There was in his character a union, of the utmost humility 
and self-abasement, with a certain degree of manly sentiment 
and aspiring hope. He knew^ that he was among the lowest in 
the ranks of his own countrymen, of whom the highest were 
greatly inferior to the Europeans ; yet he felt that, as a Chris- 
tian, he could, equally with the highest, know and adore his 
Creator. He often used to say, ' I am only a poor slave, but 
nevertheless I trust I love the Lord Jesus.' 

"Rabenohaja was among the earliest of the natives who ex- 
pressed a wish to be baptized, and would gladly have joined 
the first baptisms in May, 1831, but his master had not then 
granted his consent, nor allowed him to spend a fortnight or 
three weeks in town, as he wished to do on that occasion. 
Afterwards, however, permission was given, and he imme- 
diately repaired to town for that purpose. There needed very 
little examination before baptizing Rabenohaja, as his conduct 
had long been, not merely irreproachable, but truly ornamental 
to his Christian profession. 

He was baptized and admitted to the Lord's supper, Novem* 
ber 6th, 1831. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 273 

" Immediately after this, he prepared to return to his master 
in the vilHige sixty or seventy miles to the westward. He had 
been twice sick of the endemic fever of Madagascar, which pre- 
vails at that distance from the capital ; and he entertained some 
apprehension that a third attack might prove fatal. He even 
went so far as to say to some of his most intimate believing 
friends, * I think we shall not see each other's faces again on 
earth ; Jesus will soon fetch me.' 

"A few weeks afterwards, he wrote to me for a new supply 
of spelling and reading books ; and for some weeks longer, we 
continued to hear of his increased activity and zeal in teaching 
and exhorting all persons who would listen to him. 

"After a while, however, the melancholy news suddenly 
reached us that Ra-poor-negro was dead. An attack of the 
fever had suddenly terminated his earthly course. Two of 
his adult scholars came to town expressly to announce to us 
this sad intelligence. They said he was only ill three days, 
and during that period repeatedly exclaimed, ' I am going to 
Jehovah-Jesus ; Jesus is fetching me, I do not fear.' It may 
be remarked that this expression, 'Jehovah- Jesus,' is one which 
the natives have of themselves adopted, without any sugges- 
tion of ours. I do not think any of the missionary brethren 
have ever used it, yet on my leaving Madagascar, several of 
the native Christians used as their farewell benediction, 'May 
you be blessed of Jehovah-Jesus.' 

" The last expression Ra-poor-negro used, and that he ut- 
tered repeatedly, was, *I do not fear,' 'I do not fear."' 

Mr. Baker thus closes the account of the 
first Christian death in Madagascar : 

" I may be allowed to remark, that these brief and simple 
words, uttered in the hour of death, by the lips of one who had 
been once a heathen, bear as strong an emphasis as human 



274 HISTORY or MADAGASCAB. 

language can admit. And whence the peculiar emphasis'? It 
arises hence — that the simple and artless minds of ^|e heathen 
do not attempt to conceal their dread of death. ITie stoutest- 
hearted men will, as I have had occasion to observe in Mada- 
gascar, when stretched on a death-bed, exclaim in all the feeble- 
ness of children, and the anguish of despair, * I die, I die ; O 
mother ! O father ! I die ;' whilst the big tears will trickle 
down their olive cheeks in abundance. In accordance with 
such feelings, the natives shun all conversation on death as 
most repugnant to their feelings, and account it the height of 
cruelty to speak of the probability of a sick friend's death, even 
to his relatives. The infidels of Christendom, indeed, afiect 
to scoff at death, and pretend to face it boldly ; but the lan- 
guage of nature, like that I have been describing, will always 
prove that there is a * bitterness of death,' which no mere hu- 
man strength of mind or heart can overcome. It is an affect- 
ing sight to see a heathen die. O how inestimable, then, is 
that ' truth of God,' which can enable a poor slave to say with 
his last breath, *I do not fear.' 

"The native Christians were much affected with this ex- 
pression, and the more so as Ra-poor-negro was the first of the 
baptized Christians in Madagascar whom the providence of 
Godreijioved from the present scene of existence," 

One of the native Christians was at this 
time appointed to the office of judge, in conse- 
quence of the death of his father. This was 
the first time this important post had ever been 
filled by a Christian. 



HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 275 



CHAPTER XL 

Campaign to the south part of the island — Conduct of the 
Christian soldiers — Reasons for undertaking the war — Suc- 
cess of it — Arrival of a Roman Catholic missionary — un- 
popularity of the schools — Labours of the press — Zeal of the 
native Christians — Radama's law respecting the mission- 
aries — Messrs. Griffiths and Canham ordered to leave the 
country — Pleasing expectations of the missionaries — Accu- 
sations against the native Christians — Displeasure of the 
Queen — The chief asking for a spear — The message to the 
missionaries — The kabary — The edict — Unsuccessful ex- 
postulation — Notice of the probable causes of the attempt to 
suppress Christianity. 

In 1831, a large force was sent to subdue 
the southern provinces, which since the death 
of Radama had revolted, and refused submis- 
sion to one who gained the throne by the mur- 
der of five of her nearest relatives. In this 
campaign, as well as in all others, the conduct 
of the Christian soldiers was highly com- 
mendable. Though equally exposed with 
the others, and on some occasions more so, 
it is not known that one of them was killed; 
they were also distinguished by their kind- 



276 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

ness and consideration towards those who 
were conquered, as well as by the Honesty 
and the moral purity of their conduct. They 
also availed themselves of every suitable 
occasion for holding meetings in each other's 
tents, on the Sabbath, and at other times, for 
the purpose of reading the Scriptures, singing, 
and prayer. They had the happiness of find- 
ing many others desirous of joining them in 
these exercises, who afterwards associated 
tliemselves with the Christians, and professed 
their belief in the gospel. On m.ore than one 
occasion, when the army returned to the capi- 
tal after an absence of several months, the 
Christians went to the missionaries accompa- 
nied by a considerable number of their com- 
rades, who through their means had been 
induced to forsake the delusive superstitions 
of the country, and to seek admission among 
the disciples of the Saviour. 

This campaign was unsuccessful ; yet in the 
next year, (1832,) the government sent another 
army in the same direction. The officers of 
government felt that they were not secure in 
their usurped authority while any considerable 
portion of the island was in circumstances to 
maintain its own independence ; nor could they 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 277 

rest satisfied, while any tribe possessed herds 
of cattle or other property worth possessing, 
and of which they felt themselves able to de- 
prive them. Accordingly a much larger force, 
headed by the young prince, was sent to the 
southern part of the island, early in 1832. 
This expedition was successful in carrying de- 
vastation and bloodshed through a large tract 
of country, murdering great numbers of the 
men, reducing their wives and children to 
slavery, robbing their fields and granaries, and 
driving away their cattle. On the first of Sep- 
tember, 1832, the Hovas returned to the capi- 
tal with immense booty, as well as about ten 
thousand unhappy captives, to be sold into 
slavery. 

Their rejoicings, however, were of short 
duration; for in the course of the ensuing month 
reports arrived, that another expedition from 
France,* destined against Madagascar, had 



* The first expedition was made in 1829. The army 
reached the island in October, and demanded of the chiefs a 
great part of the eastern coast, on the pretence that years be- 
fore it had been taken possession of by them and forts had 
been established there. The officers on the coast sent up a re- 
port of the claims of the French to a part of the territory ; the 
nobles and chiefs of the principal districts in the interior were 
24 



278 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

arrived at Bourbon, and might be almost daily 
expected on the coast. 

All ordinary occupations were suspended, 
and the public attention completely engrossed 
by the efforts of the government to prepare 
against the expected invasion. It was pro- 
posed to add 25,000 men to the forces already 
enrolled ; and for this purpose, every one in 
the schools, both pupils and teachers, upwards 
of thirteen years of age, was drafted into the 
army. It was also expected that the remain- 
ing junior classes would be taken in the next 
reinforcement that might be ordered; and 
this proceeding, as might be expected, ren- 
dered the parents more unwilling than ever to 



assembled; and when the demand of the French was made 
known, their reply was, " No : before we will consent to give 
them one foot of land, we will face them ourselves, and, if 
needful, will send our slaves. If this is not sufficient, our 
wives shall go and fight against them, rather than allow them 
a place on our shores." The ravages of the Malagasy fever in 
the army, and the ability and spirit manifested by the Hovas, 
induced them to abandon the enterprise, and they sailed from 
Madagascar in October, 1830. It was in the midst of the 
alarm and confusion, caused by the presence of the French 
army, that Mr. Freeman came down to the coast; and at 
midnight, and with a guard of native soldiers, buried his infant 
child. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 279 

send their children to the schools under the 
patronage of the government. 

To prevent their being drawn into the army, 
many of their parents resorted to the plan of 
purchasing slaves, and sending them to school 
as substitutes for their own children ; by which 
means their own children escaped when the 
army was reinforced from the schools, and it 
was supposed that this was one cause of the 
neglect af the order forbidding the instruction 
of slaves, for the order was not so rigidly en- 
forced as some had been. 

Shortly after the report of the arrival of a 
French expedition at Bourbon, an emissary 
from the court of Rome landed at Tamatave, 
bearing, as he stated, propositions for the in- 
troduction of the Romish faith among the peo- 
ple. 

He wished to proceed to the capital, but was 
detained by Prince Corroller on the coast, 
until the pleasure of the queen could be known ; 
and letters announcing his arrival were sent 
up to the capital. In the mean time he per- 
sisted in going towards the capital, and after 
advancing a few days' journey, being met by 
the queen's officers from the capital, his bear- 
ers, apprehensive of the consequences o^ their 



280 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

displeasure, left him. He refused to return to 
the coast, and remained at Ambatoharanana, 
where, while waiting permission from the 
queen to advance, he died suddenly, not with- , 
out strong suspicions of having poisoned him- : 
self. Though, on the arrival of the envoy i 
from the pope, the government exhibited no 
disposition to favour the efforts of Popish mis- 
sionaries in the island, their disinclination did 
not arise from any wish to promote the objects 
of the Protestants who had laboured among 
them so many years. The value of the enter- 
prise, energy, and skill of the artisans belong- 
ing to the mission who were employed eitlier 
in their respective departments, or in supei in- 
tending and completing works of great national 
importance, they were fully sensible of, and 
held also in high estimation, but solely for the 
purposes of government, the knowledge of let- 
ters acquired in the schools : and in considera- 
tion of these advantages, the party whose 
counsels prevailed in the palace, rather tole- 
rated than encouraged the efforts of the mis- 
sionaries to diffuse religious knowledge, and 
promote the moral and spiritual benefit of the 
people. 

Circumscribed as the means of usefulness 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 281 

now were, in comparison, with what they had 
been during the reign of Radama, and the earUer 
periods of that of his successor, the increasing 
frequency of events, which showed distinctly 
to the missionaries the extreme uncertainty of 
the continuance of present advantages, stimu- 
lated them to the most active and unremitted 
efforts ; while the multipUed and decisive evi- 
dence that their labours were attended by the 
Divine blessing, enabled them to bear with 
cheerfulness the withdraw ment of that counte- 
nance from the rulers of the country, with 
which their exertions had formerly been at- 
tended. 

After every youth above thirteen, and many 
scarcely more than twelve years of age, had, 
in the close of 1832, been taken from the 
schools to the army, orders were issued by the 
government, that the schools should be fur- 
nished widi fresh pupils, to the amount of half 
the number originally under instruction. 

The extreme unwillingness of the people to 
transfer their children to the government, as 
they seemed to have been doing by sending 
them to the schools established by order of the 
sovereign, occasioned the loss of many months 
before these schools were again in operation; 
24* 



282 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

and three thousand scholars were never after- 
wards collected, in what had been considered 
the uatioual schools. 

The missionaries had from the lirst regretted 
that the greater part of the scholars under their 
care attended the schools, not simply from any 
desire of their own, or of their parents, after 
instruction, but because they were ordered to 
do so by the sovereign. They had reason to 
beUeve that Radama, in using his influence to 
induce the ' ^^ < nd their children to 

school, was : OQS to introduce the 

knowledge rs among them, and hoped 

that the ar:^ o r i ^ : nd writing would be 
prized. 3' '"i rated, especially 

as : ^ :e greatest pro- 

liciriicy were rev, :y marks of special 

fav ^ ^^::: :; :.;::vSof honour and 

en:: .- : : 

T.:i s.::si.//. ..._,:: of the government 

: aug almost the entire number of scho- 
the schools direct to the army, or the 
< : : : : the government, had increased the 
aversion of the people to these schools: and 
although the instruction given had, by the 
Divine blessing, been the means of spiritual 
benefit to many, the attendance ordered by the 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 283 

government undoubtedly proved a very serious 
impediment to the advancement of education 
among the people. The regret thus occasioned 
to the missionaries was generally alleviated by 
the growing earnestness of many, both adults 
and children, to acquire the ability to read for 
themselves the Holy Scriptures. The num- 
ber who thus voluntarily sought instruction, 
was greatly increased during the years 1833 and 
1834 ; and though large editions of the spell- 
ing, and other elementary books, were printed, 
sometimes amounting to nearly five thousand 
each, the missionaries were not able to meet 
the growing demand. 

This disposition among the people encou- 
raged and required the utmost activity in the 
preparation of books; and in 1833, not fewer 
than fifteen thousand copies, and portions of 
the Scriptures, and other books, were furnish- 
ed, and upwards of six thousand of them put 
into circulation as soon as they were ready. 
In the absence of Mr. Baker, the printing and 
book-binding of the mission was executed by 
the natives, whom he had taught before his 
departure for England, and by Mr. Kitching, 
one of the- artisans. 

The missionaries devoted much of their time 



284 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

to the translation and revision of the Old Tes- 
tament, that in the event of any change in the 
views of the government, and other causes 
arising to suspend their labours, or remove 
them from the island, they might leave with 
the people the entire volume of divine revela- 
tion. In this important work, as well as in 
their stated labours in preaching the gospel, 
they were greatly encouraged by the increas- 
ing numbers attending on their ministry, and 
the decisive evidence given by the people, that 
the word they delivered was, by the favour of 
the Most High, rendered in many instances a 
savour of life unto life. 

The earnest desires after religious instruc- 
tion, and the pleasing state of mind and feeUng 
on this important subject evinced by so many 
at the capital, extended also to other parts of 
the country. Wherever the native Christians 
went, they carried with them the New Testa- 
ment, and other portions of the Scriptures, as 
well as spelling-books, catechisms, and hymn- 
books. Unfolding in their conversation, and 
exhibiting in their example, the doctrines and 
tendencies of the gospel, they acted as mission- 
aries, and induced many to learn to read, to 
believe on the living God, to trust in the only 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 285 

Saviour, and to unite with them in the observ- 
ance of the Sabbath, and other means of ho- 
nouring God, and promoting their own spi- 
ritual improvement. Sometimes these Chris- 
tians met together for the purpose of instruction 
or worship in each other's dwelUngs, and at 
other times they erected their httle sanctuaries 
in the midst of the heathen villages, where they 
assembled to call upon the name of the Lord, 
and, in dependence upon the teaching of the 
Holy Spirit, to instruct others in the knowledge 
of his will, and the way of salvation. 

Desirous to assist and encourage the native 
Christians in these truly commendable exer- 
tions on behalf of their countrymen, and to 
promote the extension of Christianity, the mis- 
sionaries made occasional journeys of consi- 
derable extent, for the purpose of visiting the 
Christians, and preaching to the people. These 
visits were joyfully received, and in many in- 
stances proved highly advantageous to the 
Christian cause. Finding the instructions given 
by their countrymen confirmed by the Euro- 
pean missionary, and, it is hoped, influenced 
by the Holy Spirit's operation in their hearts, 
many were induced to renounce their adhe- 
rence to the idols, to place themselves under 



286 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

Christian instruction, to declare their belief in 
the Holy Scriptures, and to unite themselves 
with the professed disciples of Christ. They 
threw away their charms, and other emblems 
of idolatry ; some burned, some destroyed their 
idols, others afterwards brought them to the 
missionaries, gratefully declaring their thank- 
fulness for the instruction they had received, 
and exhibiting the idols as a proof of their sin- 
cerity in avowed attachment to the Lord Jesus 
as their only Saviour. 

Early in the spring of 1834, Mr. and Mrs. 
Baker, accompanied by Mrs. Freeman, returned 
to Madagascar. With them, the directors of 
the London Missionary Society sent out a new 
printing press and types by Mr. Baker ; and 
these the government ordered to be taken up 
to the capital free of expense to the mission- 
aries. The carrying of packages for the go- 
vernment was often an extremely severe ser- 
vice, and sometimes proved fatal to the bearers. 
On one occasion, several were injured, and 
two died : when the occurrence was reported 
to the queen, she replied, "And what then ? 
Was it not in the service of the government 
that they died?" 

Soon after the arrival of the first mission- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 287 

aries in Madagascar, Radama enacted a law 
which allowed them to remain there ten years 
without becoming subject to the laws and 
usages of the country, but requiring them, at 
the expiration of that period, to become sub- 
ject to the laws of the island, or leave the 
country, unless the permission to remain was 
renewed. In the year 1829, Mr. Griffiths, 
having been ten years in the country, requested 
to know the queen's wishes, and received, in 
reply to his inquiry, a message directing him 
to " tie up his luggage, and return to his native 
country.^' After much negotiation, Mr. Grif- 
fiths was allowed to remain first for one year, 
afterwards for a longer period. Before he left 
the island, Mr. Griffiths' relation with the mis- 
sionary society terminated, and he has since 
returned to Madagascar, though not in con- 
nexion with the society. 

In 1834, Mr. Canham, having been ten years 
in the island, received a message from the 
queen expressing her majesty's expectation 
that he would leave the country. Mr. Canham 
had originally joined the mission as an artisan, 
but not receiving sufficient encouragement 
from the government to enable him success- 
fully to prosecute the preparation of leather, 



288 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

he had, m compHance with the request of the 
missionaries, and the approval of the society 
at home, devoted his attention to the religious 
instruction of the people. The order of the 
government for Mr. Canham's departure was 
deeply regretted by the missionaries, who made 
several attempts to secure for him a longer 
residence in the country; but these proving 
unavailing, excepting for a period of twelve 
months, he left the country on the first of Au- 
gust, 1834. 

The remaining missionaries felt more ur- 
gently than ever the call to labour to the ut- 
most while any means of usefulness continued ; 
and they renewed their exertions to complete 
the revision of the Scriptures, that the whole 
might be in the hands of the people, if possible, 
before their own labours should be closed. A 
new printing-house was erected, and every 
means taken to place the printing establish- 
ment in a state of the utmost efficiency. 

The missionaries had long cherished the 
plan of establishing a mission at St. Augus- 
tine's Bay, but after collecting all the informa- 
tion which they could obtain, they found that 
under present circumstances, the attempt 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 289 

would not only be unsuccessful, but would 
endanger the mission at Ankova. 

In 1834, the government engaged Mr. Came- 
ron to undertake the establishment of an iron 
foundry and a glass manufactory; and this 
circumstance encouraged the missionaries to 
hope that they might be permitted to labour, 
without interruption, at least for several years 
to come. 

Cheered by these expectations, the mission- 
aries applied themselves with fresh courage to 
the work, and in describing to their friends at 
home the progress and prospects of the mis- 
sion, under date, November 6th, 1834, ex- 
pressed themselves as follows : 

" We have been exceedingly gratified with the personal con- 
duct of many. There is a seriousness and steadiness, and perse^- 
verance, and diligence about them, which constrain us to hope 
that their hearts have been opened by Him, by whose sovereign 
grace 

" Dry bones are raised and clothed afresh, 
And hearts of stone are turned to flesh." 

We look on with wonder and surprise, and are often prompted 
to exclaim. This is the finger of God. The difficulty still re- 
mains, as intimated in our last report, of ascertaining the num- 
bers under religious impressions. But we have reason to 
think that several are savingly converted to God ; that many 
more are perfectly convinced of the folly of idolatry and divina- 
25 



290 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

tion ; and that great numbers are awakened to think and in- 
quire. The forc6 of error is subdued, and the power of truth 
acknowledged. The preached word is Ustened to attentively, 
and the Scriptures are earnestly sought, and diligently ex- 
amined. There are also several prayer-meetings held in the 
town during the week-evenings. The two principal circum- 
stances which we wish to notice in connexion with these meet- 
ings are, first, that a spirit of prayer actually exists and in- 
creases among the natives ; and, second, that these meetings 
are convened and conducted by natives themselves. They 
frequently request our attendance, to give an exhortation, and 
lead the service ; but the houses are their own residences, and 
they consider themselves as acting on their own convictions — 
at the movement of their own minds, and from a consideration 
of present obligation to employ the means in their power of 
spreading around their respective neighbourhoods the know- 
ledge of the true God, and of eternal life. 

" It is not, however, exclusively in connexion with these 
stations that fall immediately under our own personal observa= 
tion, that a spirit of hearing and inquiry is awakened ; God 
appears to manifest his purposes of mercy to this people, in 
raising up an agency of his own from among themselves, to carry 
on his own work. He is forming for himself his own instru- 
ments — giving them zeal and knowledge — imbuing them with 
love to the truth, and compassion for their countrymen, and 
thus supplying the exigencies of his cause by their unexpected 
instrumentality, and so compensating for our lack of service. 
And as a specific illustration of this point, we may remark, 
that in a district to the west of the capital, at a village about 
sixty miles distant, a small chapel has been lately erected by the 
zeal and devotedness of the natives, chiefly excited, however, 
by the exertions of a pious woman, of whom we have already 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 291 

written to you. A very delightful spirit of inquiry is awakened 
in that district ; and several of the adult natives, men of rank 
and importance in their station, conduct prayer-meetings and 
engage themselves in those exercises with much apparent fer- 
vour, pleasure, and propriety. Another chapel is also being 
erected in a district to the south, perhaps one hundred and 
twenty miles distant. Public worship, chiefly for prayer and 
reading the Scriptures, is held in many distant parts of the 
country, principally raised and conducted by those who were 
formerly scholars or teachers in the missionary schools. Ap- 
plications from all these for books, and especially for the Scrip- 
tures, are very numerous. 

Signed, " D. Johns — J. J. Freeman." 

The hopes cherished when this communica- 
tion was made were not continued long ; the 
month had scarcely closed before the mission- 
aries were informed that the queen had forbid- 
den any persons to learn to read or write, ex- 
cept in the schools established by the govern- 
ment. This was the heaviest stroke that had 
yet fallen upon the mission ; the brethren de- 
sired to recognise in the affliction, the supre- 
macy of the Most High — believing that no 
event, especially none affecting the advance- 
ment of truth and righteousness in the earth, 
could take place without the Divine knowledge 
and permission; and, in the hope that the pro- 
hibition might not be rigidly enforced, they 
devoted themselves more zealously than ever 



292 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

to the only remaining means of usefulness — 
the preaching of the gospel; the labours of the 
press, and the superintendence of the schools 
still tolerated in the island. 

The year 1835 opened upon the mission 
without any sign of a more favourable regard 
from the government ; and a number of the 
natives, who, actuated by inferior motives, had 
attached themselves to the missionaries, per- 
ceiving the unpopularity of the Christians, 
withdrew from them, and associated with the 
heathen portions of the community. The 
hopes of favour from the parties in power, in- 
dulged by the heathen, were at this time 
greatly increased by the jealousy with which 
the former watched every movement of the 
Christians. The queen does not appear to 
have cherished any unfriendly feeling towards 
the missionaries personally, and often seemed 
disposed to tolerate their exertions; but she 
was- the zealous votary of the idols, on whose 
favour she was taught to believe her continu- 
ance in power depended. Among her minis- 
ters were three brothers, the eldest was com- 
mander-in-chief of the forces, the second first 
officer of the palace, and the third a judge ; 
two of them were the queen^s paramours, and 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 293 

all were pledged to raise the idols, and former 
superstitions of the country, to their original 
importance. These brothers exercised in the 
name of the queen supreme power in Mada- 
gascar; they appear, from the time of Ra- 
dama's death, to have seized every occasion 
for impeding the progress of Christianity, and 
to have aimed at the ultimate expulsion of the 
missionaries, and the extinction of the Chris- 
tian faith. Towards this object they advanced 
more directly, or otherwise, as they could in- 
fluence the mind of the queen, or others whose 
co-operation or connivance was necessary, or 
as circumstances occurring among the people 
favoured their views. Hitherto they had con- 
nived at the disregard of the idols shown by 
the Christians, but now deemed it inexpedient 
any longer to forbear the expression of their 
displeasure against them. These officers were 
probably led openly to oppose the spread of 
religious knowledge, by finding that the adhe- 
rents to the new faith were extending them- 
selves among all ranks in society, and that 
their principles encouraged regard to their own 
rule of action, obedience to the known will of 
God, independent of all human control, and 
irrespective of all consequences. 
25* 



294 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

Among the near relatives of these brothers 
were some sincere and consistent Christians ; 
besides others, one young man, a nephew, 
whom they appointed to be keeper of one of 
the idols which they placed in his house. 
Early in January this year, this young man 
was told by one of the chiefs, who had adopted 
him as his son, that at the annual festival, then 
approaching, the queen would present a bul- 
lock to the idol, which he must kill in sacrifice, 
and eat part of it in honour of the idol, — burn- 
ing some of the fat as incense before it. His 
declining to do this greatly enraged the chiefs 
against himself, and those principles which 
emboldened him thus to refuse the require- 
ments of the gods of the country. About the 
same time a native Christian remarked, in 
conversation with his relatives, that their con- 
fitdence in the idols was misplaced, as of them- 
selves they could do neither good nor harm. 
This native Christian was also seen at work 
on one of the days regarded by the heathen as 
sacred to the idols. The people of the neigh- 
bourhood employed one of their relatives to 
prefer a complaint against this individual to 
one of the queen's officers. The officer readily 
agreed to bring the accusation before the 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 295 

judges^ but took measures for including in the 
charge all who professed Christianity. 

Towards the close of January, 1835, he 
brought the complaints against the individual 
who had spoken against the idol, and worked 
on one of the sacred days before the chief 
judge, and requested the interference of the 
government against the Christians, urging the 
following grounds of complaint, 

1. They despise the idols of the land. 

2. They are always praying; they hold 
meetings in their own houses for prayer, with- 
out authority from the queen; and even before 
and after meals they pray. 

3. They will not swear by the opposite sex, 
(according to the usual custom of the country,) 
but, if required to swear, merely affirm that 
what they say is true. 

4. Their women are chaste, and therefore 
different customs from those established in the 
country are introduced. 

5.' They are all of one mind respecting their 
religion. 

6. They observe the Sabbath as a sacred 
day. 

On the 15th of February, which was the 
Sabbath, the queen went out in great state, 



296 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

being carried in a sort of palanqxxin, sur- 
rounded by troops, and preceded by numbers 
of women, officers, and nobles. The royal 
party passed by one of the chapels while the 
congregation assembled for public worship 
were singing ; and on this occasion the queen 
was heard to say, in reference to their worship, 
" They will not stop till some of them lose 
their heads.'^ 

The Christians were neither ignorant of the 
charges preferred against them, nor of the feel- 
ings with which they were regarded by the 
queen, and could scarcely avoid apprehending 
some expression of their sovereign's displea- 
sure. An unusual seriousness was visible in 
all their public and social meetings during the 
early part of the year ; and seldom had larger 
or more deeply attentive congregations been 
gathered than those which crowded the places 
of worship, especially ori each of the Sabbaths 
in the month of February. ^^Few families," 
observed one of the members of the mission, 
" were to be found, from the immediate con- 
nexions of the sovereign to that of the hum- 
blest slave, who could not number among their 
near relatives some who were the disciples of 
the Saviour. Many, there was reason tp be- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 297 

lieve, were truly converted, others were de- 
sirous of knowing the way of salvation, while 
numbers were merely seeking general know- 
ledge, or were influenced in their attendance 
on the means of religious instruction by infe- 
rior motive's." 

Such was the interesting state of the native 
Christians in Madagascar when their enemies 
discovered that they had gone far towards the 
accomplishment of their designs. They had 
succeeded in exciting the displeasure of the 
queen against the doctrines and truths of Chris- 
tianity, as well as against those by whom these 
were professed, and by investing their ground 
of complaint with a religious and personal cha- 
racter, as affecting the supremacy of the sove- 
reign, and the stability of the government, had 
successfully appealed to her strong and long- 
cherished prejudices, her pride, and that im 
patience of the least resistance to her will, 
which is possessed alike by all despots, savage 
or civilized. 

Soon after, a chief of great rank and influ- 
ence presented himself before the queen, and 
after saying that he had seen the dishonour 
done to the idols ; and the natives through the 
influence of the foreigners forsaking the cus- 



298 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

toms of the country ; and stating that in his 
opinion this was only preparatory to the intro- 
duction of an army of foreigners, who should 
come and take possession of the kingdom ; he 
added, "And now I have come to ask your 
majesty for a spear, a bright and sharp spear, 
to pierce my heart, that I may die before that 
evil day comes.'^ On hearing this, the queen 
declared that she would put an end to Chris- 
tianity if it cost the Ufe of every Christian in 
the island. 

On the 26th of February, 1835, the queen 
sent a message to the missionaries, that the 
natives would not be allowed to perform re- 
Ugious worship, to be baptized, or to unite with 
the church. ' 

Orders were issued for a general kabary of 
all within seventy miles of the capital. It was 
held on the 1st of March, and it was estimated 
by one of the missionaries' that no less than 
150,000 were present. 

The day was ushered in by the firing of 
cannon, and as the sun rose, the troops to the 
number of 15,000 marched to the "place of 
kabarys'' — probably to convince the people 
of the queen's ability and determination to ac- 
complish her design. 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 299 

At the appointed hour, the judges appeared 
and delivered the "edict of the queen. '^ By 
this, all who had attended school, or learned 
to read or write, all who had attended public 
or private worship, all who had spoken against 
the idols or customs of the country, and all 
who had been baptized, or joined the church, 
or observed the Sabbath, were required within 
one month to come before the appointed offi- 
cers, and confess the same. Those who should 
confess were to be punished according to the 
heinousness of the crime ; while those who did 
not confess, yet were afterwards found to be 
guilty, were to suffer death. Many of the chiefs 
sent their united request to the queen, that the 
edict might be revoked, and offered to make a 
general acknowledgment, and to offer a peace- 
offering. This proposal was rejected, and the 
time allotted to the confession was shortened 
from a month to one weeTc. 

All further expostulation was forbidden, and 
the people had no alternative but compliance 
or death. The powers of darkness were per- 
mitted to triumph. The native Christians ac- 
knowledged having learned to read — engaged 
or united in prayer — observed the Sabbath, 
&c.: they now abstained from these observances, 
23* 



300 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

and numbers of them gave up, to the officers 
appointed to receive them, in obedience to 
most positive orders on the subject, the copies 
of the sacred Scriptures, and other books in 
their possession ; many evidently giving them 
up with extreme reluctance and sorrow. 

There were many who,while they confessed 
that they had been baptized or had attended 
worship, &c., resolved to suffer death rather 
than renounce their faith and return to the 
idolatrous practices of their countrymen. 

For some time the distress of the people 
was so great, that instead of crowding the 
houses of the missionaries as they had been 
accustomed to do, scarcely a native came near 
their dwellings for days together, and no one 
dared to repair to the places of public worship. 
The children in the schools established by 
order of the government, were required to at- 
tend, but the missionaries were only allowed 
to teach them reading, writing, and arithmetic, 
without the least allusion to Christianity. The 
children were not to be required to learn writ- 
ing on the Sabbath-day; this was the only 
way in which it was distinguished ; and this 
was out of deference to the customs of the 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 301 

Europeans, who were thus reUeved from what 
they regarded as a secular duty. 

On that day the Europeans might meet for 
pubHc worship, but God was not to be wor- 
shipped by any native, and the name of Jesus 
was not to be invoked, excepting in connexion 
with the national idols, the sun, moon, &c. 
Transgression of this law was to be punished 
by death. 

The members of the mission, though dis- 
tressed, were not in despair, and, though cast 
down, were not destroyed. They were ena- 
bled still to hope in God, though deprived of 
every means of usefulness among the people, 
and assured that, at least till the rage of their 
enemies should be somewhat allayed, any de- 
viation from the requirements of the queen 
would be perilous to themselves, and certainly 
fatal to the natives, who would be gladly 
seized and sacrificed to the deep-rooted enmity 
of the idolaters, if this could be done with any 
show of justice. ^' We owe it," they remark 
in a letter dated March 10th, 1835, ^^ to the 
merciful care of our heavenly Father, that no 
violence has yet been used towards us; but 
we are cautioned, and warned, in the most 
authoritative manner, by the government, to 
26 



302 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

be on our guard, as the least violation of the 
law of the country would be visited with the 
most unsparing vengeance.'^ 

Among the causes which induced several 
of the heathen officers of the government to 
seek the overthrow of Christianity in the 
country, the following may be specified. 

1. The deep and inveterate depravity of the 
heart, and the enmity of the unrenewed mind 
to the moral purity inculcated in the Bible, 
and the uncompromising requirements of the 
living God on the homage of the heart and 
the obedience of the life. 

2. The determination was a measure of 
policy on the part of some, and of superstitious 
infatuation on the part of others, to uphold the 
idols, superstitions, and heathen customs of the 
country. Between these and Christianity they 
perceived the impossibility of any amalgama- 
tion; the latter they found admitted of no 
equal, and would be satisfied with nothing 
short of supremacy ; its extinction was there- 
fore deemed necessary even to the continu- 
ance of that which they were determined 
should be paramount. 

3. The recognition^ on the part of the Chris- 
tian natives, of any authority over either body 



HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 303 

or mind, above the queen, whom the people 
generally regarded as God — whom they ad- 
dressed, if they did not worship as God.* The 
acknowledgment of any power superior to this, 
is regarded by the idolaters as most dangerous, 
and on no account to be tolerated. Hence the 
Lord Jesus Christ is ever a rock of offence to 
them. His name is peculiarly obnoxious to 
the heathen in power. They often say, he is 
some renowned ancestor of the Europeans, to 
whom they wish to transfer the allegiance of 
the people. 

4. The conviction, on the part of the mem- 
bers of the government, that the present system 
of despotism could only be exercised over an 
uninstructed and servile people, that freedom 
of thought and speech would be followed by 



* In illustration of this, it may be mentioned, that soon after 
the edict of the queen, one of the workmen came to Mr. Came- 
ron, and asked, if they, the Europeans, could eat their food, 
from consternation and fear. On being answered, that how- 
ever much they regretted the course the queen had pursued, 
they were only conscious of having done good, and conse- 
quently did not fear ; the man observed, " Perhaps you are not 
aware that we can do nothing of which the queen does not 
approve — we know of no higher power ; — and, therefore, when 
she is displeased, we are people soon dead." 



304 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

freedom of action, and the system by which 
irresponsible power was preserved in the hands 
of the rulers, weakened if not destroyed. The 
government was fully sensible of the advan- 
tages of knowledge, and hence both Radama 
and his successor had encouraged teaching and 
the useful arts — but it was not for the people. 
Their steady aim was to monopolize all these 
advantages, and to use them as means of keep- 
ing the nation at large in a state of more entire 
subjection. 

5. The expectation of receiving instruction 
in the manufacture of muskets and other arts, 
from some natives of France, who engaged to 
teach all that the English had taught, without 
associating with it any religious instruction ; 
and perhaps a fear of the interference of the 
British goVernment, of whose encroachments 
in India, Ceylon, and South Africa they re- 
ceived very highly-coloured accounts. The 
government had always manifested extreme 
jealousy of foreigners residing in the island, 
and a fear of all foreign intercourse with the 
country. 

6. The order, propriety of conduct, integrity, 
and chastity of the native Christians, especially 
the chastity of the native Christian females, 



BISTORT OP MADAGASCAR. 305 

rendered them obnoxious to the displeasure of 
the heathen. It was customary for any officer 
of high rank or station, m the army or the 
palace, to employ the influence with which his 
office invested him, for the violation of the 
sacred obligations of conjugal life among the 
people. This the Christians invariably resist- 
ed, and thereby greatly exasperated some high 
in rank and power. To these, it is supposed, 
the love of plunder may be added, as the con- 
fiscation of the property of those who professed 
Christianity was probably expected, and, had 
it taken place, would, according to the usual 
practice in relation to criminals, have been 
largely shared by those who were first to in- 
form against them.^ 

So far as their presence, example, prayers, 
and sympathy could be rendered available for 
the comfort of the native Christians, the mis- 
sionaries were happy to encourage them ; but 
beyond this, at the period under review, none 
dared to seek their counsel or aid. 



26* 



306 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Labours of the missionaries — Printing of the Malagasy Bible 
completed — Departure of the missionaries — Treatment of 
their servants — Persecution of Rafaravavy — Letter of the 
native Christians — Oppression of the Christians — Famine — 
Banditti — Expedition to St. Augustine's Bay — Cruelties 
practised by the army — Sufferings of the people — The 
queen's embassy — Revolt of Andriansolo— Visit of Mr. 
Johns — Spiritual prosperity of the native Christians — The 
first martyr — The second martyr — The escape of six native 
Christians — Their reception in England — Present state of 
the country. 

Deprived of every means of usefulness 
among the people, the missionaries directed all 
their energies to the completion of the Holy 
Scriptures. No native was allowed to assist 
them at the press ; but they cheerfully under- 
took the labour of printing the remaining por- 
tions themselves. They had now completed the 
translation, and the revision, and by the stre- 
nuous efforts of the brethren, and the favour 
of God, they had the grateful satisfaction of 
accomplishing an object on which their hearts 
had long been set, viz. the completing the 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 307 

printing of the entire volume of Divine Reve- 
lation in the native language. 

Messrs. Freeman and Johns, aided by seve- 
ral native 3^ouths, who were appointed by the 
government to assist them, had also been en- 
gaged in preparing dictionaries in the Mala- 
gasy and English languages ; and, at the same 
time that the printing of the Scriptures was 
finished, they were enabled to complete the 
first part of this important work, viz. English 
and Malagasy, prepared by Mr. Freeman : 
some useful books that were in hand when the 
operations of the missionaries had been stop- 
ped by the government, were also finished; and 
the missionaries cherished the hope that the 
means of putting them into circulation would 
at no distant period be found. 

On the ISth of June, 1835, Mr. and Mrs. 
Freeman, Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, and Mr. and 
Mrs. Chick, left the capital for Mauritius. On 
the 27th of August, Mr. and Mrs. Griffiths 
sailed from the island, leaving only Messrs. 
Johns and Baker, who expected soon to be 
under the necessity of following them. 

The natives had been, both by Radama 
and the queen, encouraged to assist the mis- 
sionaries, as domestic servants in their fami- 



308 HISTORY or MADAGASCAR. 

lies, nursing their children, and otherwise 
contributing to their comfort. Their con- 
duct in this respect had been regarded with 
approbation rather than blame, by the authori- 
ties. But no sooner had the missionaries left 
the island, than it was reported, that to have 
lived in the houses of the missionaries, or to 
have been intimate with them, was sufficient 
to render the allegiance and trust-worthiness 
of any individual doubtful. 

Shortly after the departure of Mr. Freeman 
and Mr. Griffiths, and the artisans, their ser- 
vants were all required to submit to the ordeal 
of the tangena, to prove their fidelity to the 
queen. On this occasion, two who had lived 
in Mr. Freeman's family, being declared 
guilty, were barbarously murdered, the rest 
escaped with no other injury than that which 
usually follows the poison, even where it does 
not prove fatal. 

Messrs. Baker and Johns continued their 
labours at the press. Mr. Johns was also em- 
ployed in instructing more fully the twelve 
senior teachers, under whose care the schools 
established by the government were placed. 
Besides this, Mr. Johns commenced a transla- 
tion of the ^^Pilgrim^s Progress,^' but was not 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 309 

allowed to hold any intercourse with the na- 
tive Christians, or even to speak with any of 
the people on the subject of religion. He was, 
however, happy to soothe, by his vsympathy 
and presence, as far as practicable, the faithful 
disciples of Christ in the capital, and to cheer 
and encourage those who found means of in- 
tercourse with him. A number, there is rea- 
son to believe, were able, even though threat- 
ened with death if detected, to secure after the 
hour of midnight, the privilege and comfort of 
reading a portion of the Holy Scriptures, which 
some, in order to preserve, had buried in the 
earthen floors of their houses, beneath the mats 
on which they slept. 

The determination of the heathen rulers to 
suppress the profession of Christianity, though 
it induced many, who had once declared them- 
selves Christians, to renounce such profession, 
and to return to many of the superstitions and 
abominations of heathenism, did not deter the 
little band, that remained faithful amidst ac- 
cumulated trials, from using every means for 
promoting their own comfort and edification, 
and inducing others to receive the truth. 
These efforts were not unattended by the Di- 
vine blessing, though the vigilance of their 



310 HISTORY OF MADAG^ASCAR. 

enemies, and the encouragement given to all 
who united in opposing Christianity, often 
brought them into circumstances of imminent 
peril. 

The first direct measures of persecution fell 
upon that eminent woman Rafaravavy. She 
had been a convert before the suppression of 
Christianity, by the edict of the queen. Pre- 
vious to her conversion she was a most de- 
voted idolater — one of the most zealous there 
in sustaining the worship of the idols ; and it 
is well knownlhat often she and her relations, 
in their attachment to idolatry, had sacrificed 
not merely the comforts and conveniences, but 
even the absolute necessaries of life. At the 
moment when a meal of rice has been wanting 
in the house, the money required to purchase 
it has been actually paid for the support of 
idol worship. She was first brought undef 
the influence of the gospel by conversation 
with a native believer ; and afterwards, by the 
blessing of God upon the teachings of the mis- 
sionary, she gave satisfactory evidence of a 
change of heart. She then became one of the 
most zealous converts. She obtained one of 
the largest houses she could in the capital, for 
the purpose of instituting a prayer-meeting. 



HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 311 

By her simplicity, fervour, and consistency, she 
was the means of inducing many others to at- 
tend regularly on the means of grace. This 
awakened the enmity of some around her, and 
three of her own servants accused her to the 
government. She was charged with encou- 
raging meetings for prayer, having the Scrip- 
tures in her possession, and keeping holy the 
Sabbath-day. At that time she was impri- 
soned, her person and property were valued, 
and a fine imposed to half the estimated 
amount. She was soon after released, but 
she was severely threatened and warned that, 
"though her life was spared, she should be 
taught not to trifle with the edict of the queen.^' 
Her father, who was not a converted man, 
filled with indignation against the servants 
who had accused her, put them in irons. The 
moment she was released, her heart cherished 
a burning desire to become the instrument of 
their conversion; she obtained a house at 
some distance from that in which her father 
lived, for the very purpose of having them 
immediately under her care, direction, and in- 
struction. Her earnest and persevering efforts 
were devoted to effect the conversion of her 
accusers. She prayed with them, she wept 



312 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

over them, till at last they wept for themselves, 
and confessed, " we thought there was some- 
thing in this religion, when we saw you, in- 
stead of reproaching, pitying us ; and now we 
begin to feel in our own hearts what this re- 
ligion is.'' There is reason to hope that all 
(three) of these servants became savingly con- 
verted to God by her means. One of them 
has since been subjected to severe punishment 
for attachment to the gospel. 

Shortly after the imprisonment of Rafara- 
vavy, Messrs. Johns and Baker received indi- 
rect intimation that it was the wish of the go- 
vernment that they should leave the island. 
All means of usefulness to the people were for 
the present at an end ; and the lives of the na- 
tive Christians, who were known to have any 
intercourse with them, were constantly placed 
in jeopardy by the treachery and hostility of 
their enemies. Unable to discover any fa- 
vourable change in the views of the govern- 
ment, uncheered by any prospect of resuming 
their labours, and finding that their presence 
increased the troubles of the native Christians, 
without securing any equal advantage, the re- 
maining brethren, after much prayer, and fre- 
quent deliberation with the native Christians, 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 313 

felt it their duty to retire to Mauritius, at least 
for a season. 

Influenced by these considerations, Messrs. 
Johns and Baker, with feelings of poignant 
anguish, left the capital in the month of July, 
1836. 

Their sorrows were deeply shared by the 
native Christians, though both parties deemed 
it best that they should remove. The mission 
families, who were accompanied part of the 
way by some of the native Christians, pursued 
their mournful journey towards the coast, 
where they embarked for Mauritius, cheered 
by the assurance that ultimately the gospel 
would have free course in Madagascar, and 
consoled by the hope that in the wise arrange- 
ments of Divine mercy, the way might be 
speedily opened for their return to the loved 
field of labour, from which the malevolence 
of ignorance and superstition had obliged them, 
to retire. The feelings of the native Chris- 
tians who remained, may be inferred from the 
letters they sent to their teachers. 

Madagascar, July, 1836. 
To Mr. Johns, Mr. Canham, Mr. Cameron, Mr. Chick, and 
Mr. Kitching : — 

" Health and happiness to you, your wives, and your child- 
ren, say the few sheep here in Madagascar. We salute you 
27 



314 HISTORY OF jyiADAGASCAR. 

all. We could not write to you separately, being restrained 
from doing so; therefore do not censure us, beloved friends! 
We now conduct Mr. Johns, who is on his way home, accord- 
ing to the law of the land. We are now stared at, and op- 
posed by the people, whose eyes are upon us. With great 
difficulty we obtained permission to conduct Mr. Johns, when 
he left us : but, notwithstanding we are thus afflicted with sor- 
row, do not be afraid, for we love and obey the law of Christ. 
When the apostle Paul preached to the disciples, and exhorted 
them and encouraged them to continue in the faith, he told 
them that through much tribulation we must enter the king- 
dom of God. We are even like this ourselves, for without 
much tribulation we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven ; and 
truly we know that if we shrink at tribulation or persecution, we 
are not worthy to bear the name of Christ. But we know in 
whom we have believed, and in whom we have trusted ; and 
that he is able to keep also that which we have intrusted to 
him. And this we say is now our confidence. 

****** 
" Thus we write to you, beloved friends ! Do not forget to 
entreat a blessing for us; but pray to God that he may hasten 
his pity, and have mercy upon this dark land of Madagascar. 
"Farewell to you, saith your Friend." 



Ambatonakangaj July^ 1836. 
To my Friend Mr. Canham. and his Family : — 

" We do not forget you, notwithstanding we are separated 
far from you. Your leaving was as it were the beginning of 
sorrows, which were to accumulate more and more ; but, alas ! 
what can we do 1 Health and happiness to you and your 
family, is the wish of myself, my wife, and my children ; for 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 315 

we visit you thus by letter, as we are desirous of asking how 
you are. 

"My father is dead, and my wife's father and my mother's 
brother also ; this I think is comparatively easy to forget ; but 
there is a certain leading thing which causes me too much 
grief. When I pass by Ambatonakanga, (where the chapel 
stands,) and when Saturday arrives, and business is to be done 
on the Sabbath, which cannot now be refused, — this, this is 
indeed heavy to bear! All the missionaries are gone, for their 
work is ended ! Oh, when shall we again behold a new day ] 
Make haste the promise which says, 'The earth shall be filled 
with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waves cover the sea:' — 
that the broken heart which is too heavy may be bound up, 
and may the power of Jehovah quickly appear, that all may 
see it and be astonished thereat ! Do not forget to pray for 
us, saith your friend R " 



" Salutation from the * little flock.' By the blessing of God 
we are all well, and our state is one of increasing piety and 
augmenting numbers, and we are able to assemble often to 
praise and honour God, as described 2 Cor. vi. 7 — 10. * By 
the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of 
righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and 
dishonour, by evil report and good report : as deceivers, and 
yet true ; as unknown, and yet well known ; as dying, and be- 
hold we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet 
alway rejoicing ; as poor, yet making many rich ; as having 
nothing, and yet possessing all things." 



" We are all well ; those who are just added to us rejoice at 
the mercy of God. Those who had forgotten are able to re- 



316 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

turn. We are impressed and delighted when we read the 

* Pilgrim's Progress.* 

****** 

" With regard to my master, he still speaks angrily to me 
on account of my adherence to the word of God. But I see 
the words written by Paul, Rom. viii. 35 — 39. * Who shall 
separate us from the love of Christ 1' &c. Thanks to God who 
has caused us to see words of Ufe such as these." 

The vindictive persecution of the Christians 
was only one of the calamities which the erro- 
neous and iniquitous conduct of the govern- 
ment brought upon the Malagasy. The prac- 
tice of infanticide was revived. Their efforts 
to extinguish the light of Christian truth were 
accompanied by great activity and zeal in re- 
viving and promoting idolatry. Fresh idols 
were continually brought to the capital, new 
altars were erected in several places ; altars, 
tombs, and other objects of superstitious vene- 
ration, that had been lying in ruins, were re- 
paired ; new ceremonies were appointed, and 
offerings more frequently presented. In all 
these attempts to restore the influence of idola- 
try, the queen seemed to take the lead, being 
at times occupied for several days together in 
the observance of idolatrous ceremonies, and 
inaccessible to any excepting those who were 
engaged in the service of the idols. Of this, 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 317 

few would, perhaps, have felt much disposi- 
tion to complain, had it not been accompanied 
by increasing oppression from the government, 
and misery among the people. 

The large increase made to the army, had 
robbed numerous families of their most valua- 
ble members, and increased the unjust exac- 
tion6 of the government, which required the 
people to furnish support for the army without 
any remuneration. The numbers who had 
been taught to work at the different trades in- 
troduced into the country by Europeans, were 
all obliged to give their labour unrequited by 
the government ; while the general taxation 
was augmented to such an extent as to reduce 
numbers to a state of extreme wretchedness, 
or force them to desperation. 

Unable to meet the demands of the govern- 
ment upon their personal services and their 
property, and to provide the means of support, 
multitudes fled from the towns and villages to 
the forests, formed themselves into banditti, 
and sought a precarious subsistence by seizing 
the cattle that might graze in the adjacent 
country, or plundering the travellers that 
passed near their places of retreat. These 
bands of robbers increased to such a fearful 
27* 



318 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

degree, that in the summer of 1835, a consi- 
derable military force was employed in sup- 
pressing them. Great numbers were with 
difficulty taken, and brought to the capital, 
where, in the second or third week in Septem- 
ber, nearly two hundred were publicly exe- 
cuted, eighty-four w^ere killed by the spear of 
the common executioner, seventeen were 
cruelly burnt alive, some were barbarously 
buried alive, and the rest having been declared 
guilty by the ordeal of the tangena, were ac- 
cordingly killed on the spot. 

By these sanguinary proceedings the go- 
vernment sought to strike the people with 
terror, and deter others from endeavouring to 
escape from their requirements, or elude their 
vengeance ; but to their astonishment and rage, 
the number of robbers increased to an extent 
that rendered travelling in small companies, 
without a guard, unsafe in many parts of the 
country. On one occasion, several of the offi- 
cers of the government had asked Mr. Johns 
how they could most effectually remedy the 
evil. He replied, with much propriety, by 
ceasing to oppress the people, allowing them 
to reap the fruits of their own industry, and to 
be taught to read the Bible. The answer, it 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 319 

is understood, was reported to the queen ; to 
whom, as well as the officers to whom it was 
given, it was far from being welcome. 

About this time a report reached the capital 
that the inhabitants of the country around St. 
Augustine's Bay had revolted from the do- 
minion of the queen, and an army was de- 
spatched to subdue them. When the troops 
reached the coast there were no less than 
twenty-one British ships in the bay, trading 
for native produce. To them the people ap- 
plied for aid. It was readily afforded, and the 
Hovas were obliged to return, leaving the na- 
tives the independent possessors of the coun- 
try. In the next year another and more pow- 
erful army was sent to the south of the island. 
The inhabitants of the invaded provinces sub- 
mitted. They were then ordered to assemble, 
the men in one place, and the women and 
children in another, to take the oath of alle- 
giance. The men, on arriving at the appointed 
place, were surrounded by the soldiers, and to 
the number of ten thousand were speared on 
the spot. From the other company the soldiers 
selected all the boys capable of bearing arms. 
The queen had fixed on a certain height as 
the standard, and all the youths who either 



320 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

exceeded or fell short of that measure, even 
by half an inch, were conducted to the fatal 
spot where their fathers and brothers had pe- 
rished, and there were put to death. The wo- 
men and the rest of the children were driven 
off as slaves. 

In these circumstances a number of the 
chiefs of the southern provinces sent, in the 
close of the year 1837, the most affecting and 
earnest application to the British government 
at Mauritius, denying all right of the Hovas 
to their country, and praying for assistance to 
save them from annihilation. 

A similar course was pursued by the British 
traders at Tamatave and other parts, as the 
supplies of rice failed, in consequence of the 
inability or disinclination of the people to cul- 
tivate. No native was allowed to sell rice to 
any foreigner, and constant impediments were 
thrown in the way of traffic for bullocks or 
other productions of the country. The cup 
of misery in the hands of the inhabitants of 
this ill-fated country, now seemed to be full. 
The government had oppressed the people till 
oppression itself could inflict no more. Their 
wretchedness scarcely admitted of any addi- 
tion. The personal service required by the 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 321 

government had been so increased, as not to 
allow time for cultivating enough to support 
their families, and even their scanty supplies 
thus obtained were reduced by exactions in 
the form of taxes. 

In the early part of 1837, great scarcity pre- 
vailed in many parts of the country, and mul- 
titudes, it was feared, died from want. The 
sufferings of the people induced no relaxation 
of the oppression and severity of the govern- 
ment. Between the departure of Messrs. 
Johns and Baker in July, 1836, and the month 
of March, 1837, nine hundred criminals, 
charged with various offences, were put to 
death, having been declared guilty by the tan- 
gena; fifty-six were burnt to death, and sixty 
killed by spearing and other means, making a 
fearful total of one thousand and sixteen exe- 
cutions in the short space of eight months. 
That the country under these circumstances 
should prosper, was impossible ; and it is not 
surprising that agriculture was neglected, and 
that multitudes driven by despair had recourse 
to violence and plunder ; universal anarchy 
and complete desolation was only prevented 
by the military forces of the government. 

In the year 1836, the queen determined on 



322 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

sending an embassy to England and France. 
It is probable that the reverses which the army 
had met with in the south, the favour shown 
by the commanders of English vessels towards 
those whom her troops were endeavouring to 
subjugate, the uncertainty of the light in which 
the English government might regard the 
policy now pursued, and their conviction that 
the withdrawal of the friendship of the latter, 
and their countenance of any rival chieftain, 
would insure his success in any attempt to 
wrest the government from her hands, led to 
the adoption of this measure. 

They were also, it is supposed, influenced 
by a desire to obtain the sanction of the British 
government to the change of their policy, 
which was now so widely different from that 
which had formed the basis of the treaty of the 
English with Radama, in which the residence 
of a British agent at the capital had been pro- 
vided for, and the friendship and encourage- 
ment of the English nation had been secured. 

The embassy, consisting of six of the princi- 
pal officers of the government, reached Eng- 
land early in 1837. Every attention was paid 
to them, both by the British government and 
the missionaries from Madagascar, then in 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 323 

England ; and no opportunity was lost of im- 
pressing on them a sense of the blessings of the 
religion and civilization which they had re- 
jected. They were introduced to the queen, 
who entered into conversation with them, and 
being told that, in consequence of an edict of 
the queen of Madagascar, no native could pro- 
fess Christianity, addressing herself to the 
members of the embassy, she said, "Tell the 
queen of Madagascar from me, that she can do 
nothing so beneficial for her country as to re- 
ceive the Christian religion.^' 

The embassy afterwards visited France, and 
returned to England in the same year. Dur- 
ing their absence Andriansolo, one of the most 
powerful chiefs of the north, asserted his inde- 
pendence. An army of five thousand men 
which was sent against him was entirely de- 
feated. Many of the officers, and most of the 
troops were slain. 

It appears that the embassy to England was 
not so successful as had been expected : the 
residence of a British agent at the capital was 
insisted on as a preliminary to any engage- 
ment on the part of England ; and this the 
queen refused to grant. The proposals of the 
French were also promptly rejected. 



324 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

On the whole it appears that whatever may 
be the views of the government in reference 
to the revival of the slave trade, they are de- 
termined to reject entirely all foreign inter- 
ference and control. 

The missionaries at Mauritius, though de- 
prived of the privilege of labouring among the 
afflicted flock in Madagascar, cherished the 
tenderest solicitude for their welfare, and 
eagerly seized every opportunity of becoming 
acquainted with their circumstances. With 
this object in view, Mr. Johns proceeded to 
Tamatave in the month of July, IS 37, and 
was favoured to meet there with friends from 
the capital. The tidings of the steadfastness 
of the Christians, of their joy in believing, of 
their holy consistency, and faithful and perse- 
vering efforts to diffuse the knowledge of the 
gospel among their respective households, re- 
latives, and friends, and of the abundant mea- 
sure of the Divine blessing evidently attending 
their exertions, filled his heart with the live- 
liest gratitude, and inspired him with the most 
animating hopes of the extension and stabiUty 
of the cause of Christ in Madagascar. 

Although, since the edict of the 1st of March, 
1835, no meetings had been held for public 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 325 

worship, and many who had before associated 
themselves with the Christians had since ap- 
peared foremost amongst their enemies, and 
had indulged in all the vices of the heathen, a 
goodly number, holding fast their profession, 
continued in the faith and purity of the gospel, 
shining as lights in the midst of a crooked and 
perverse generation. 

These native Christians were accustomed to 
read the Scriptures at the hour of midnight in 
their own houses, or other places of conceal- 
ment, and to meet in small companies for sing- 
ing and prayer. They were also, at the capi- 
tal, and in some of the provinces, in the habit 
of meeting together on the Sabbath, either in 
retired places in the forest, in caverns among 
the rocks, or on the summit of a mountain, for 
the reading of the Scriptures, and social worship. 
There were several of these assemblies when 
the last of the missionaries left the island. 

After the departure of the missionaries, the 
disciples continued to attend to these means 
of instruction and edification to themselves, 
and to seek the spiritual good of others. 

By the blessing of God upon their labours, 
many, notwithstanding the offence of the 
cross, and the peril of confessing the name of 
28 



326 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. | 

i 

Jesus, were led to associate themselves with \\ 
the believers. [; 

It was highly gratifying to the devoted but f 
sorrowing missionary, to be made acquainted k 
with the exemplary walk, the scriptural sim- \: 
plicity and abounding fruitfulness of those in 
whose stedfastness and holiness he took so 
deep an interest. Their fellowship was of no : 
common order, and the ties that united them t 
were such as the gospel alone could supply ] 
and maintain. Every individual who joined \ 
them knew that, even by the expression of a } 
desire to do so, he placed his life in the hands I 
of those to whom he made his desires known ; n 
every Christian also knew that, by acknow-.h 
ledging to be such as the stranger proposed to \ 
join, he was exposing his life, should the party | 
proposing to unite, not afterwards prove what 
he professed to be. r 

Under these circumstances, it will not be ! 
surprising that the Malagasy Christians, like 
the primitiv-e believers whom the apostle Paul \ 
essayed to join himself unto at Jerusalem, ' 
were led to the exercise of extreme circum- 
spection, in proposing themselves in the first 
instance, and afterwards in admitting others to 
their fellowship. They adopted among them- 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 327 

selves, on these occasions, a pledge of fidelity 
similar to that used by the prophet and Jewish 
monarch, as recorded in the prophetic writings, 
and maintained inviolate their engagement, 
though at the cost, in one instance at least, of 
Ufe itself. 

The missionary, though no longer allowed 
to scatter the seed of Divine truth in the soil, 
on the preparation of which so much toil had 
been bestowed, rejoiced with devout thank- 
fulness unto the Lord, in the growth and fruit- 
fulness of that which he and his fellow-la- 
bourers had planted and watered in happier 
times. The native Christians, though perse- 
cuted and ajHicted, rejoiced in their portion, 
and found their afflictions productive of the 
peaceable fruits of righteousness. They had 
been less frequently annoyed by the govern- 
ment since the departure of the missionaries, 
and were induced to suppose that, if their 
rulers were not more favourably disposed to- 
wards them, they were less inclined to severity 
in punishing the quiet and unobtrusive ob- 
servance of their religious duties, as the];^ pre- 
sumed they must be acquainted with their ad- 
herence to the Christian faith. In this they 
soonfoui)d, by events of the most mournful 



328 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

and sanguinary character, that they were mis- 
taken. 

It appears that the movements of the Chris- 
tians had been watched, though no infringe- 
ment of the antichristian edict of the queen 
was discovered till the last Sabbath in July, or 
the first Sabbath in August, 1837. On this 
occasion, a number of Christians who had as- 
sembled, for reading the Scriptures, singing 
and prayer, on a mountain a short distance 
from the capital, w^ere discovered, and reported 
to the queen. The premises of the suspected 
parties were searched, for the purpose of find- 
ing ground for accusation against them, and a 
box of books, viz. copies of the Scriptures and 
other Christian publications, that had been 
given by the missionaries, being found buried 
near the house of Rafaravavy, she was appre- 
hended and imprisoned ; her house, and her 
entire property, was given up to plunder, her 
person secured, and her hands and feet loaded 
with heavy iron rings. 

Her friends were apprehended, and Rafara- 
vavy was ordered for execution, simply be- 
cause she retained her profession of faith in 
Christ. It was declared publicly that she had 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 329 

been put to death, and the news reached us 
that she had suffered matyrdom. 

In the providence of God, however, it ocr 
curred that on the very night preceding the 
morning on which she was to have been led 
forth at cock-crow to be executed, an alarm- 
ing fire burst out in the capital, where she was 
prisoner. The confusion became general ; the 
soldiers who had her under guard, and the 
very executioners, forgot at this moment their 
duty, and the order for execution remained in 
suspense, not countermanded by higher au- 
thority, unless it was that of Him in whose 
hands are the issues of life and of death. 

Two or three days passed away amidst this 
confusion, and during that time another emi- 
nent woman, Rasalama, uttered boldly her 
sentiments on behalf of Christianity. Her 
words were reported to the queen and on her 
head the indignation fell. She was led forth 
to the place of execution, and died there a be- 
liever in Jesus, pleading with God for the con- 
version of her beloved country. 

Rafaravavy, who was then in irons, was 

kept in that situation for five months, unable 

to move a single inch day or night. Five sol- 

diei's were appointed to guard the house where 

28* 



330 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

she was kept, but even there the desh'e of 
converting others to God never forsook her. 
She seized moments for conversing with one 
of her guards, and there is reason to beUeve 
that her aifectionate prayers and counsels be- 
came the means of turning his heart to God. 
After suffering this confinement she was sold 
into slavery, first in a private house, and af- 
terwards, that the disgrace might be the 
greater, in the most public part of the capital, 
under the eye of her friends and relatives. She 
counted it a high honoiu' to suffer shame for 
the cause of Christ. But ere long she was 
again found attending a meeting for prayer,and 
a young man, Rafaralahy, was accused of per- 
mitting her to meet with others at his house. 
That young man was apprehended. He was 
one of the few Christians who attended the 
martyrdom of Rasalama. He returned from 
that scene with a heart prepared to yield his 
life to God, if called to do it. He was the 
next martyr — he fell on the same spot. He 
supplicated the executioners to allow him 
a few moments to commit his soul into the 
hands of Christ. Hard-hearted men as they 
were, they granted his request. He knelt 
down on the spot where he was to die, and 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 331 

Uttered a prayer for the queen, the govern- 
ment, and his countrymen, and that the gospel 
might spread and triumph in that land. There 
are usually four or five executioners, and 
sometimes more. They were about to throw 
him with violence on the ground. "No,^' he 
said, " there is no need of that ; I have no fear 
of dying.^^ He calmly prostrated himself on 
the ground, and the spears pierced his heart ; 
while with his last breath he prayed, — ^" 
God, open the eyes of the Queen of Ma- 
dagascar.'^ 

The government then sent their officers to 
the wife of that young man, to ascertain who 
the parties were, who had been assembUng 
for prayer at his house : she refused to name 
them. The most awful tortures which savage 
cruelty could devise were then applied, and in 
the extremity of her agony, she divulged the 
names. She has since mourned bitterly over 
the act. The names were carried to the go- 
vernment, and all were brought under fresh 
accusations. Rafaravavy was among them ; 
and also two young men who have since es- 
caped to England. 

Six of them instantly fled from the capital, 
and passed about sixty miles across the coun- 



332 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. I 

try to the west, to a village where they knew 
there were many who loved the Saviour, i 
They were welcomed there. A leading man 1 
in the district gave them the right hand of fel- ' 
lowship. " Come/' he said, " to me. As long 
as I have food to eat you shall share it with 
me ; as long as I am safe you are safe." He 
concealed them there, and his wife assisted in 
their concealment. The soldiers came to the 
house and searched for those who had fled, 
and especially for Rafaravavy, for she was 
deemed the leader of this little band, whom 
neither threats nor spears could induce to re- 
linquish their faith in Christ. She was in the 
house when the soldiers arrived, and there 
seemed no possibility of escape : she was con- 
cealed behind a piece of matting which the 
soldiers did not descry, and her life was thus 
preserved. The soldiers retired from the vil- 
lage, expecting to find her in an adjoining 
mountain, where it was known that she and 
others retired to pray. During the absence 
of the soldiers they were enabled to escape 
and find refuge in another part of the country, 
where they were mercifully watched over. 
They continued there for a few months, till 
information came of the arrival of the Rev. 



HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 333 

David Johns on the coast of Madagascar, in 
the autumn of last year, (1838.) Communi- 
cations were made by means of confidential 
friends, and as soon as they heard of his ar- 
rival they travelled by every possible means 
of secrecy, and arrangements were made to 
conduct them to the shores of Great Britain, 
where they might feel that they could worship 
God, and enjoy liberty. Mr. Johns mentioned 
their escape among our Christian friends at 
Mauritius, and a young man there in the 
queen's service, an officer in the army, went 
among his brother officers, and collected in one 
day 70/. sterling (about three hundred and ten 
dollars) towards paying the expenses of bring- 
ing thern from the coast of Madagascar. 

Thus aided, they safely reached Mauritius, 
where they found a number of their country- 
men who had formerly been in slavery in that 
land, and had subsequently obtained freedom; 
with whom they mingled their prayers and 
thanksgivings to God. Thence they proceeded 
to Algoa Bay, and Vv^ere kindly welcomed by 
the Christians of South Africa, particularly the 
Hottentots. The Hottentots received them as 
brethren and sisters with intense delight, but 
there was this difficulty — they could not un- 



334 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

derstand each other^s language. However, 
they devised a medium of intercourse. Each 
possessed their copies of the sacred volume. 
The Malagasy found a text, such a chapter, 
such a verse, "All one in Christ Jesus.'^ The 
Hottentots turned to their Bibles and found the 
same verse — " all one in Christ Jesus ;'^ and 
they mutually expressed their sentiments of 
love and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ 
by respectively pointing to texts in the Holy 
Volume. The Hottentots, poor indeed as to 
this world's goods, but rich in faith, of their 
own accord, voluntarily, made a little sub- 
scription on the morning of their departure, 
and handed in 23^. (about five dollars) as a 
mark of their affection for these persecuted 
friends. 

In company with Mr. Johns, they reached 
London on the 25th of May, 1839. 

On Tuesday, the 4th of June, a special ge- 
neral meeting of the London Missionary So- 
ciety was called, for the purpose of receiving 
the refugees to the protection of the society, 
and the sympathy of the people of Eng- 
land. 

The meeting was opened by singing that 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 335 

Psalm so peculiarly appropriate to Madagas- 
car in its present condition : — 

Hast thou not planted with thy hands 
A lovely vine in heathen lands, &c. 

The whole story of the persecution was re- 
lated by Mr. Freeman, (once a missionary in 
Madagascar,) and the natives were introduced 
to the assembly. 

They are, Rafaravavy, who at her baptism 
took the name of Mary ; Razafy ; Andriano- 
manana, or Simeon ; Rasoamaka, or Joseph ; 
Ratsarahomba, or David, (he drank the tan- 
gena,) and Andrianisa, or James. They 
were afterwards examined individually, as to 
their personal religion, their sufferings and 
their escape from Madagascar. 

. They have all of them resolved to return, 
so soon as it can be done with safety, to their 
native land, as missionaries of the gospel to 
their brethren. Resolutions were then of- 
fered, and several eloquent addresses were de- 
livered ; and the singing of a hymn, and 
prayer, closed perhaps the most interesting 
service in which the friends of missions in 
England ever had the privilege to engage. 

In the reports which these Christians bring 
us from their native land, there is but a single 



336 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

encouraging circumstance ; and that is the in- 
crease in numbers, and the steadfastness of the 
native Christians. After sixteen j^ears of un- 
remitting toil, the missionaries could reckon 
nearly one hundred true converts. "But the 
missionaries were banished; and when the 
shepherds were sent away, the faithful and 
true Shepherd took the oversight of his flock, 
and went about seeking to save that which 
was lost.^^ During the first four years of the 
persecution the number of true converts was 
nearly doubled; and there are now, (as one of 
the Christians stated in his examination,) " to 
the' full one hundred and seventy with whom 
we have been in the habit of visiting and con- 
versation, and who are, amidst all tribulations,- 
in the strength of God desirous of persever- 
ing.^' 

One of the native Christians, when asked if 
he had a single word to say to the friends of 
missions before him, entreated them to pray — 
to pray for them, that God would in due time 
permit them to return to make known to their 
countrymen the way of salvation — to pray for 
" that dark land,^^ that God would there arise 
to plead his own cause. 

In all seasons of extremity, the church has 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 337 

had recourse to prayer ; that remedy never 
has failed, and will not fail now : and dark 
and desolate as is the scene which Madagas- 
car presents, there is nothing, even in its most 
appalling features, to justify despondency, but 
every thing to inspire confidence and encou- 
rage hope. No strange thing has happened ; 
the church of Christ in every age has been 
opposed by the agents of satanic enmity and 
rage, and it has always been triumphant. In 
every country to which the gospel has been 
introduced, it has roused the spirit of murder- 
ous persecution, but it has always proved in- 
vincible. Christianity has advanced in coun- 
tries where it has been opposed by far more 
formidable obstacles than now arrest its course 
in Madagascar. It has vanquished antagonists 
vastly more numerous and powerful than the 
barbarous and sanguinary rulers who there 
set themselves, and take counsel together 
against the Lord and against his Anointed, 
saying, "Let us break their bands asunder, 
and cast their cords from us.^^ The Scriptures 
have been extensively circulated in the island ; 
the seed of divine truth has thus been scattered 
widely over the country — that country, now 
the sacred deposit of a martyr's ashes, thus 
29 



338 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

taken possession of for Christy must ultimately 
become his inheritance ; that seed is incor- 
ruptible seed, and, now watered with a mar- 
tyr's blood, must issue in a rich and abundant 
harvest. The recent events in Madagascar 
have completed the chain of evidence supplied 
by the results of modern missionary eftbrts, 
which has so satisfactorily proved that the 
principles of divine truth are imperishable, and 
that the power of the gospel on the human 
mind is unimpaired, that it is still not only 
mighty to turn men from dumb idols to the 
living God, but to sustain under all the me.^iis 
of intimidation and suffering which the malig- 
nant subtlety of fiends and the cruelty of men 
can devise or employ. These are the evi- 
dences of its divine origin, the earnests of its 
future triumphs, the pledges of its final and 
universal ascendency, through the power of 
Him whose kingdom ruleth over all, who will 
cause the wrath of man to praise him, while 
the remainder of that wrath he will restrain. 



HISTORY OP MADAGASCAR. 339 



CHAPTER XIII. ; 

The Malagasy language. 

The Malagasy language unquestionably be- 
longs to the Malayan, or more properly the 
Polynesian family of languages. It is a branch 
of that original stock which in its dialects has 
spread from Madagascar in the West, to Easter 
island in the East ; and from the Sandwich 
islands in the North, to New Zealand in the 
South. It bears the greatest affinity to the 
languages spoken in Java and Sumatra, and 
is like them enriched with many words from 
the Sanscrit. It bears no resemblance to any 
of the languages of Africa. 

The whole island of Madagascar may be 
said to possess but one language. There are 
indeed different dialects ; but they are so unim- 
portant, that the inhabitants of one part of the 
island converse with perfect ease with the in- 
habitants of any other part ; and books printed 
in one dialect may be read all over the island. 

The Malagasy language is capable of much 



340 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

precision, force, and beauty of expression. Its 
structure is simple and easy, yet it admits of 
much variety and elegance in its sentences. 
The copiousness of the language consists not 
merely in its stock of words, but in its facility 
of forming compounds to express every pos- 
sible shade and variety of meaning. 

When the language was reduced to writing 
by the missionaries, the English alphabet was 
adopted, omitting, c, q, u, w, x, and altering 
the power of j by pronouncing it as dz. The 
vowels are pronounced as in French. C, is 
represented by s or k ; q, by ko ; u, by the let- 
ters io pronounced rapidly ; w and x have no 
corresponding sounds in the language. 

As a general rule every consonant must be 
succeeded by a vowel. Hence the syllables 
usually consist of a consonant and a vowel, and 
a vowel must always end the syllable. Hence, 
too, every termination in the language is a vowel 
and generally a or ?/. At the end of words these 
are sounded very softly : thus in Manitra, 
Soratra, the final a is scarcely heard ; and in 
a rapid pronunciation each word would seem 
to consist of but two syllables. This constant 
use of the vowels gives a peculiar softness and 



HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 341 

delicacy to the modulation and tones of the 
language. 

The following version of the twenty-first 
Psalm (sal.) is taken from a hymn book entitled, 
Fihiriana^ natao ny Hihira^ny ny Jimhani' 
andro^ hiderana An'' Jindriamanitra, An- 
tananarivo : Ny tontaina Fahefatra tamy 
ny Fanerena Misionary^ 1833. 

157 7. 

Fivavahana hitahy ny Andriana. 
Sal. XXI. 

1 Andriana nahary, 
Mpanjaka ny mpanjaka ! 
Tahio ny Andriana, 
Arovy, hasoavy. 

2 Aoka hifaly izy, 
Fa mahery, hianao ! 
Aoka ho ravoravo, 
No ho ny famonje^nao. 

3 Tariho isan^ andro, 
Amy ny haleha ny ; 
Atavy ela velon% 
Hankalaza'ny anao. 

29* 



342 HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 

4 Aoka hatoky anao, 
Hahareta'ny ela ; 
Ank' ho tP anao izy, 

Ho vonjen^ mandrakizay. 

5 Tahio ny fanjaka^ny, 
Ka ampielezo nao, 
Ny filazana tsara, 
Hahendry ny olona. 



THE LORD'S PRAYER. 

Ny Ray nay izay any an-danitra, Hasino ny 
anara'nao. Ampandrosoy ny fanjaka^ nao. 
Atavy ny fankasitraha' nao ety an-tany,tahaky 
ny any an-danitra. Omeo anay anio izay 
fihina^ nay isa-nandro. Ary mamela ny trosa i 
nay tahaky ny amela^nay ny mitrosa army 
nay. Ary aza mitarikia anay amy ny fakam- , 
panahy, fa manafaha anay amy ny ratsy. I 



THE END. 



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